tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 15 14:15:05 2004

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Re: ngeD/nap

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

Senara wrote:
>chay' pIm mu'mey [ngeD], [nap] je?
>...
>I've got some problems to understand the difference between "easy" and
>"simple". When I translate these words into german, both mean "einfach"...

In Klingon there's only one example of {ngeD} "easy" in canon:

   For example, among Klingons, a task that is difficult (Qatlh) is
   more highly valued than one that is easy (ngeD). (KGT 179)

and no examples of {nap} "simple" unfortunately.

You may want to understand how Okrand himself uses the English words.  Here 
is "simple" in KGT:

   As in any language, Klingon sentences range from the very SIMPLE
   and straightforward to the very complex and convoluted. (TKD 59)

   Wind instruments...range from the SIMPLE flute or fife ({Dov'agh}),
   generally crafted from a bone, to the highly complex {meSchuS}.
   This is a very large instrument, not at all easily moved from place
   to place, which consists of a network of interlocking tubes. (KGT 75)

   There is no SIMPLE nonslang verb for "butt heads."  (KGT 158)

   Finally, there are some words that simply do not translate. One
   must resort to descriptions rather than SIMPLE one- or two-word
   translations, and one must be a quite facile in the language and
   knowledgeable of the culture to understand the concepts.  (KGT 207)

and "easy":

   [students of the Klingon language] find some speakers EASY to
   understand, but others seem to be pronouncing words most peculiarly
   or speaking a language that resembles Klingon only vaguely. (KGT 2)

   For a Klingon, it is EASY to tell whether someone is speaking
   the standard way. (KGT 14)

   That is, in Klingon (and in Federation Standard also, for that
   matter), there is no EASY way to say "Attack the enemy or enemies,
   however many there may be."  (KGT 140)

Sometimes looking at antonyms is useful.  Both {ngeD} and {nap} are the 
opposites of {Qatlh} "be difficult, be complex":  "easy" vs. "difficult" 
and "simple" vs. "complex".  We have examples of {Qatlh} used in both senses.

The first comes from the movie ST5:

   VIXIS: tlha'a HoD, DoS wIpuStaH.  nejwI' tIQ 'oH.
          Captain Klaa, we have a target in sight. A
          probe of ancient origin.
   KLAA:  qIpmeH Qatlh'a'?
          Difficult to hit?
   VIXIS: Qatlhqu'.
          Most difficult.

If I wanted to say the opposite, I would use {ngeD} "easy":

   qIpmeH ngeD'a'?
   (Is it) Easy to hit?

The second example comes from SkyBox SP3 and is, appropriately, more 
complicated:

   motlh ray' luSamlaHmeH De' Qatlh cha' tlhIngan Duj jIH'a'
   The main viewer on a Klingon ship is usually overlaid with a
   complex target acquisition grid.

If I wanted to use the antonym, this time I would use {nap} "simple":

   motlh ray' luSamlaHmeH De' nap cha' tlhIngan Duj jIH'a'
   The main viewer on a Klingon ship is usually overlaid with a
   simple target acquisition grid. SP3

{De' Qatlh} "complex data" vs. {De' nap} "simple data"

Does this help?



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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