tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Apr 26 20:39:03 2006

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Re: Klingon WOTD: Qup (verb)

QeS 'utlh ([email protected])



ghItlhpu' Voragh, ja':
>Style note:
>I think {Qup} and {qan} refer exclusively to people, while {chu'} and 
>{ngo'} are for things.  Others may disagree.

maQochbe'qu'.

Nevertheless, as some may have already noticed, my email signature contains 
the Klingon phrase {Hemey ngo' juppu' ngo' je}, the translation of an Ubykh 
proverb that literally means "Old roads and old friends will never deceive 
you". Obviously {juppu'} "friends" would normally use {qan}. However, I have 
used {ngo'} (on the suggestion of one of the other {po'wI'pu'}) in order to 
imply that it is the age of the *friendship* that is important; {juppu' qan} 
"old friends" implies "old people who are friends", opposed to {juppu' Qup} 
"young friends", i.e. "young people who are friends", which does not conform 
to the sense of the original proverb.

This understanding of {ngo'} and {qan} is not canon, and is merely my own 
interpretation of the sense. YMMV.

QeS 'utlh
tlhIngan Hol yejHaD pabpo' / Grammarian of the Klingon Language Institute


not nItoj Hemey ngo' juppu' ngo' je
(Old roads and old friends will never deceive you)
     - Ubykh Hol vIttlhegh

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