tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 04 07:34:33 2009

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RE: Measurments

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) 

naHQun:
>> Which units of measure do we have exact Terran equivelants for, 
>> and what are they?

Voragh:
> The four units of linear measure I know of are:
>  {'uj}       *uj* (unit of measure, about 35 cm.)
>  {'uj'a'}    (unit of measure, about 3.15 m.)
>  {qelI'qam}  *kellicam* (unit of measure roughly equal to 2 km. [STE])
>  {loghqam}   (unit of measure, 1.25 light years)
> Only one unit of volume is known:
>  {tlho'ren}  (unit of volume "in the quart/liter range")
>
>FYI DloraH has a web page comparing {'ujmey} to centimeters and inches:
>   https://65.13.120.12/tlhIngan/cheb-uj.htm 

lay'tel SIvten:
>Here are the units I have:
>
>loghqam NWL-main    BoP n   unit of measure, 1.25 lightyears
>qelI'am NWL-main    ?   n   kellicam
>'uj KGT     n   uj (unit of linear measure, about 35 centimeters)
>cheb    NWL19971022     n   unit weight approx. 5 pounds (2.25kg)
>cheb'a' NWL20020312 BoP n   unit weight approx. 45-46.4 pounds
>            (20.4-21.05kg) (9-9.28 {cheb})
>tlho'ren    NWL19971022     n   unit measure approx. one quart/liter
>DarSeq  KGT     n   darsek, unit of currency
>Hogh    TKD2K       n   week (Klingon)
>jar TKD2K       n   month (Klingon)
>DIS TKD2K       n   year (Klingon)

{lup}  second (of time)
{tup}  minute (of time)
{rep}  hour (of time)

>None of the time periods is exactly equivalent to its English gloss.
>I have no value for <qelI'qam> or <DarSeq>.

Don't forget about the undefined {DeQ} "credit" for money.

I'd forgotten about the {cheb}.  It's interesting that just as there's no smaller unit *{'ujHom}, there doesn't seem to be a *{chebHom}, or at least none that we know of.  charghwI' asked Okrand about measurements on the old startrek.klingon list:

>From: Marc Okrand <...>
>Newsgroups: startrek.klingon
>Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 
>Subject: Re: Measurement question
>
>Will Martin wrote:
>> So, if an 'uj'a' is nine 'ujmey, is an 'ujHom a ninth of an 'uj?
>
>No.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.
>
>An 'uj is a unit of linear measurement, roughly 35 centimeters; an
>'uj'a', or "big uj" ('uj plus the augmentative suffix -'a' "big") is
>nine times as long, or nine ujes, somewhat over three meters. 
>
>The Klingon measurement system is more like the British and American
>system in that the names of the units, for the most part, have nothing to
>do with each other (inch, foot, yard, mile, and so on).  This differs from
>the metric system, where the names are basic units modified by a set of
>prefixes (meter, millimeter, centimeter, kilometer, etc.). 
>
>Thus the existence of a unit known as a "big uj" ('uj'a')  does not mean
>there's a mathematically related diminutive counterpart (a "little uj," or
>'ujHom) 
>
>Maltz did say, however, that he'd heard the term 'ujHom used in a story
>about a merchant lacking honor, something about the merchant not filling
>the order properly.

Okrand also wrote on st.k (10/22/1997):

  "We don't know a whole lot about Klingon weights and measures, but
   here's a little more information that may be helpful. [...] 
   I'll have to do some more digging to find out about area."

AFAIK he never provided any further information about area measurements.

naHQun:
>> And then we have DloraH's chart which brings us to three.

BTW DloraH has another web page comparing {chebmey} to kilograms and pounds:
  https://65.13.120.12/tlhIngan/cheb-uj.htm

>> So it seems that we have ONE exact conversion: loghqam.
>> Well that's better than none, I guess.

If you want EXACT equivalents to Terran units, we have a few examples (I'll let you do the math):

{cheb'a'}:

wejvatlh SochmaH vagh SaD cheb'a'mey ngI' Duj 
Mass: 8.7 KT. KBOP

{loghqam}:

jabbI'ID pup: Qapchu'meH 'aqroS chuq: cha' vI' chorgh loghqammey 
High Resolution - Maximum Effective Range - 3.5 Light Years. KBOP

jabbI'ID pupHa': Qapchu'meH chuq: chorgh vI' chorgh loghqammey 
Medium to Low Resolution - Effective Range - 11 Light Years. KBOP
 
{'uj}:

wej 'ujmey 'ab 'oy'naQ 
Painstiks are a little over one meter long  S32 

jav 'ujmey 'ab SuvwI' 
the warrior has a length of six ujs (about 6'10") (st.k 10/22/97) 

vagh 'ujmey vI'ab 
I have a length of five ujs, 
I'm five ujs tall (about 5'8").  (st.k 10/22/97)

wejvatlh loSmaH loS vI' vagh wej 'uj 'aD Duj 
Length: 120 M. KBOP

loSmaH jav vI' Soch loS 'uj 'ab meH 
Bridge Height: 16.28 M. KBOP

HIvtaHvIS toQDuj cha'vatlh wejmaH Soch vI' vagh chorgh 'uj 'ab 'oH 
Attack Formation Height: 82.75 M. KBOP

qughtaHvIS toQDuj HutmaH vI' jav wa' 'uj 'ab 'oH 
Cruise Formation Height: 31.56 M. KBOP

SaqtaHvIS toQDuj wa'vatlh loS vI' jav chorgh 'uj 'ab 'oH 
Landing Formation Height: 36.46 M. KBOP


--
Voragh                          
Canon Master of the Klingons

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