tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 30 07:51:35 2005
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Re: Klingon WOTD: qum (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Wednesday, November 30, 2005.
>
>Klingon word: qum
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: government
As used in canon:
pa' 'oHtaH vaS'a''e'. tlhIngan qum waw' 'oH.
This is where the Klingon Great Hall is located, the center of the Klingon
government. S27
"The entirety of a government's military apparatus is its {QI'}, usually
translated simply as 'military'." (KGT 51)
"To determine one's place in Klingon society or to understand who has
authority over whom, one must be aware of the {qutluch patlh} of the
military, the government, the house with which one is associated, and so
on." (KGT 111)
"Literally meaning 'cape', this slang term is an example of metonymy,
whereby one word (or phrase) stands for another with which it is
associated. In this case, the leader of the Klingon High Council typically
wears a ceremonial cape. The slang sense of {ngup} does not refer only to
this position on the High Council, however, but to anyone in power or even
to 'the power structure.' Someone unsatisfied with the status quo, a rebel,
might be said to want to {ngup qaD} ('challenge those in charge';
literally, 'challenge the cape'). Nonslang equivalents of {ngup} are {woQ}
('authority, political power') and {qum} ('government')." (KGT 157)
"the Order of the Bat'leth ({betleH 'obe'}), the highest honor that the
government bestows on a Klingon" (KGT 183)]
Cf. also {loH} "administration" and {HI'tuy} "dictatorship".
>Homonyms:
> qum (verb) - govern
Never used in a sentence.
Cf. {che'} "rule", {ghatlh} "dominate", {vu'} "manage" and {loH}
"administer"; cf. also {lu} "fall from power".
The derived noun is {qumwI'} "governor".
Related nouns include {DevwI'} "leader" (e.g. of the High Council),
{vu'wI'} "manager", {HI'} "dictator", {pIn} "boss", {ta'/voDleH} "emperor",
{Qang} "chancellor" and - most recently - loHwI' magistrate (lit.
"administrator"):
loHwI' vISuch 'e' vIpoQ
I demand to see the magistrate! (ENT "Affliction")
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons