tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 21 07:44:13 2007
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Re: Klingon WOTD: nuH bey' (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Friday, December 21, 2007.
>
>Klingon word: nuH bey'
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: Pride of Weapons
>
>Additional Notes:
>HolQeD 5:1 p. 20, from the KCD.
Jonathan Webley wrote:
> >> Does anyone know what this refers to?
Doq wrote:
> >It sounds like Okrand may have coined a collective noun, like a pride
> >of lions. It would work in a warrior culture, but I'm not sure it is a
> >good translation into English.
QeS 'utlh wrote:
>>The literal translation is "weapon(s) display". {bey'} refers to a
>>ceremonial display, perhaps a ceremonial routine or drill. We don't really
>>know what the Klingon {nuH bey'} might entail, since we have no further
>>description that I know of, [...]
Actually, there is. According to the "Star Trek: Klingon!" CD game (KCD),
this refers to a ceremonial display of weapons on the wall of a Klingon's
home. In the House of SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber, the {nuH bey'}
displayed a bat'leth, a {naQjej} and a {ghab'etlh} ("one of three weapons
traditionally displayed on the {nuH bey'}" [KCD narration]).
{bey'} is defined in KGT as a "ceremonial display". From KCD we also know
of the {betleH bey'} "bat'leth Display" and the {quv bey'} "Honor Display"
(which looks like the House of SepIch's {nuH bey'} except it contains two
bat'leths and two d'k tahgs. The difference is between {nuH bey'} and {quv
bey'} was not explained and is otherwise unknown AFAIK.
For those without KCD, there's a photo of what might be Worf's {nuH bey'}
in his Enterprise-D quarters in "The Klingon Way" (p. 124). There's
another photo on p. 204 labeled "ritual tools used in the Age of Ascension
ceremony" showing two {ghanjaqmey} and a {DuQwI' pogh} (glavin) mounted on
the wall of what I think is Worf's quarters.
>> [...] the term makes me think of an armed
>>exhibition drill such as might be carried out by a platoon of soldiers.
For that we have the noun {qeq} "drill (military)" and the verbs {qeq}
"practice, train, prepare" as well as {mI'}:
KGT p.207: Sometimes seemingly ordinary concepts cannot be expressed
easily. For example, the Klingon verb {mI'} may be translated "dance", but
it also means "exercise, do calisthenics, do martial arts movements". The
central idea of {mI'} is that a physical activity is performed that results
in no change, other than, perhaps, in the well-being of the person
performing the action. Thus, it is wrong to use {mI'} for "run to a place",
though it is quite appropriate to use it for "run in place". No term in
Federation Standard means quite the same thing as Klingon {mI'}. By the
same token, no word in Klingon means quite the same thing as Federation
Standard "dance". At many Klingon festivals, a popular group of performers
is called the {qul mI'wI'pu'}, usually translated as "fire dancers". Since
what the performer is doing is properly designated by the verb {mI'} but
not really accurately described by the translation "dance", the
visitor--particularly one who learned the Klingon word only by its usual
Federation Standard translation--is in for quite a surprise when the show
begins.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons