tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 15 09:52:52 2006
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Re: Klingon WOTD: Duj (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Friday, December 15, 2006.
>
>Klingon word: Duj
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: instincts
>Homonyms: Duj (noun) - ship, vessel
Used in canon:
Duj tIvoqtaH
Always trust your instincts. TKD
DujlIj yIvoq
Trust your instincts. TKW
"The Klingon word for instincts is {Duj}, and it is grammatically correct
to treat it as singular (a bundle or collection of instincts) or plural
(individual instincts). {Duj} also means 'ship' or 'vessel', so a possible
interpretation of the aphorism is 'trust your ship'." (TKW 27)
vaj Duj chIj
"navigate a warrior ship" (idiom) KGT
"This is a way to say 'have strength of character'. This sense clearly came
about because of the existence in Klingon of two words pronounced {Duj},
one meaning 'ship, vessel', the other meaning 'instincts'. If {Duj} is
taken in its 'ship' sense, then {vaj Duj} means 'warrior ship', something
that is certainly appropriate to navigate ({chIj}). On the other hand, if
{Duj} is taken to mean 'instincts', then {vaj Duj} means 'warrior
instincts' and the phrase {vaj Duj chIj} ('navigate warrior instincts')
makes no sense unless interpreted idiomatically. To a Klingon, this would
be to set and direct the course or use of these instincts--that is, to be
in control of them. The phrase {vaj Duj} ('warrior vessel' or 'warrior
instincts'), even without the verb {chIj} ('navigate'), is taken to mean
'strength of character', though it can also be used literally.
It is noteworthy that in this idiom the word for warrior is not the
frequently heard {SuvwI'}, which would denote an individual warrior, but
rather is {vaj}, which refers to the whole idea of being a warrior. Thus,
when {Duj} is taken to mean 'instincts', {vaj Duj} refers to the instincts
associated with being a warrior or the instincts needed for combat; {SuvwI'
Duj} would mean the instincts of a specific warrior. If {Duj} is taken to
mean 'ship', {vaj Duj} ('warrior ship') would suggest that the ship itself
has the characteristics of a warrior, a perfectly reasonable notion. To
express that a ship is that of a specific warrior, the word {SuvwI'} is
appropriate: {SuvwI' Duj} (warrior's ship). The idiom, referring to
strength of character, may be used in sentences such as {vaj Duj DachIj}
('You navigate a warrior ship'--that is, 'You have strength of character')
or {vaj Duj chIjbe'} ('He/she does not navigate a warrior ship'--that is,
'He/she lacks strength of character')." (KGT 113-115)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons