tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 25 13:37:58 2010
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RE: House Titles
Soqra'tIS:
>> How would one compose a "House" title?
>> Want to say "Leader of the mighty house of Raith" or something similar
>> even just house of Raith
>>
>> <tuq'a' Raith, joH> ??
>> <joH tuq'a' Raith> ??
There is no word for "be mighty", but you could say {tuq Dun} "wonderful/great house" or {tuq Hos} "strong house".
*[tuq'a'} has never been used by Okrand, although it's not out of the questions. Note however that a *{tuq'a'} would be a "Great House" - that is a type of House superior to the other Houses (tuq} - for example, a ruling House, supreme over all the other Houses (e.g. that of the emperor).
KGT 5: Some houses (that is, lineages) are more wealthy and powerful than others.
KGT 36-38: Klingon society is a stratified one. That is, there are clear distinctions between those with great wealth and influence and those with little or none. This sort of status is a matter of inheritance. Among the higher classes, one is born into an ancestral unit known as a {tuq}, normally translated house. Some houses are particularly wealthy, controlling vast lands by means of armed forces loyal to the particular house. Other houses have far less influence and, for survival, often form alliances with the larger houses. Each house is led by the eldest male direct descendent of the previous leader (there are complex traditions dealing with what happens if there is no male heir), and the heads of the larger houses--that is, those with the greatest holdings and strongest forces-have seats on the Klingon High Council ({tlhIngan yejquv}), the body that rules the Empire. Since the number of seats on the Council is limited, many houses are not directly represented, are not as influential in Klingon society, and therefore occupy a slightly lower social position. In addition to wielding great political influence, members of the higher classes are also better educated than are others, particularly in the area of the arts.
Houses routinely contribute troops, ships, and weaponry and go into battle to help advance the Empire's objectives. On the other hand, it is not unusual for the interests of the various houses and their leaders to be at odds with one another, leading to hostilities between houses, sometimes lasting generations Depending on a house's successes in any of these battles, its holdings--and therefore its overall influence in the society--may increase or decrease. A house's place in society may also be adversely affected by the behavior of its leadership. If the High Council determines an action to be dishonorable, not only may it remove the leader of a house from the Council itself, it may also seize the house's lands, forces, and other holdings.
Though members of the lower levels of society may not identify themselves as members of a house, they usually have pledged loyalty to one. Typically, members of this class work as servants or perform duties necessary for the daily functioning of the Empire's undertakings. Many serve as members of a house's military forces.
The Klingon military, of course, has a hierarchical structure of its own, with ranks and areas of authority spelled out explicitly. Various fleets and squadrons are loyal to various houses, though, as might be expected, the details of these alliances are subject to change. Within the Klingon Defense Force ({tlhIngan Hubbeq}), which includes the entire Klingon military apparatus, the highest officers tend to be members of influential houses, particularly the members of the ultimate military authority, the High Command ({ra'ghomquv}).
qurgh:
>House Raith - Raith tuq
>Lord of House Raith - Raith tuq joH
Okrand wrote on st.klingon (9/01/1997):
*******************************************************************
From: "Marc Okrand"
Newsgroups: msn.onstage.startrek.expert.okrand
Date: 01 Sep 1997
Subject: Re: family names
According to Maltz, there are at least a couple of ways to identify
a Klingon's house (or {tuq}).
One way is the way you suggested. To say "Kahlor of the House of
Molor" (or, if you prefer, "Kahlor from the House of Molor"), you'd
say simply "Kahlor, House of Molor":
qeylor molor tuq
If you want to be even more formal, the name of the father may be
used as well -- again, as you suggested. "Kahlor, son of Kahlin,
of the House of Molor" is "Kahlor, son of Kahlin, House of Molor":
qeylor qeylIn puqloD molor tuq
The other way is actually more formal and a bit formulaic. To say
"Kahlor is of the House of Molor" (or "Kahlor is from the House of
Molor"), you could say:
tay' qeylor molor tuq je
This is literally "Kahlor and the House of Molor are together". The
construction is no doubt based on the Klingon proverb "One is always
of his tribe" (literally, "a person and his house are always together"):
reH tay' ghot tuqDaj je
If Kahlor is speaking, he could say, "I am of the House of Molor":
matay' jIH molor tuq je
Or if one were speaking to Kahlor, one could say, "You are of the
House of Molor":
Sutay' SoH molor tuq je
Literally, these are "The House of Molor and I are together", "The
House of Molor and you are together". The independent pronouns
({jIH} "I" and {SoH} "you" in the examples above) are always used
in this construction.
*******************************************************************
And don't forget {tuqnIgh}:
HQ 9.3 (p.8): {tuqnIgh} is used to refer to any member of a house. Thus, qeng tuqnIgh is "a member of the House of Kang", and {tuqnIghwI'} is "a member of my house}.
--
Voragh
Canon Master of the Klingons