tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 24 11:31:17 2011

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Re: vIHpu'ghach Hab

Krenath ([email protected]) 

Despite the fact that I can get the meaning the original speaker intended, thinking about it, there are a number of assumptions that we as English speakers make that wouldn't be necessarily true for native Klingon speakers:

Would Klingons use 'move' or 'motion' as a synonym for 'action' even if they have a noun for it rather than just a verb?

Would Klingons use 'smooth' as a description of a well-executed action?

Would Klingons not have a native phrase that they would be more inclined to use in a sarcastic or self-deprecatingly sarcastic way?  




On Feb 24, 2011, at 2:04 PM, Steven Boozer <[email protected]> wrote:

> lojmIt tI'wI' nuv:
>> Yesterday, when I dropped something, the phrase just popped out:
>> {vIHpu'ghach Hab, qoH.}
> 
> A "smooth having-been-in-motion-ness"?
> 
> 
>> It's the kind of thing that happens, leaving me wishing there were
>> people around who could enjoy the humor.
>> 
>> I also considered how poorly the language is designed to express stuff
>> like when I've been waiting for something and someone promises faster
>> service in the near future: "I'm ready for faster service". Do I use
>> {jIHrup}? Seems odd. And what about "Your pizza is ready." I guess you
>> could just yell {Su'!} Otherwise, it's best to just skip the idea and
>> say {DaH <<pizza>>lIj yItlhap!}
> 
> Or just {'eH!} or {SSS... PIZZA yItlhap!}
> 
>> Or, I guess you could say, {ghuS <<pizza>>lIj}, implying that if you
>> don't come pick it up, I'm going to throw it at you. Now THAT'S Klingon
>> service with a smile!
> 
> Unless you're planning a food fight, {ghuS} "be prepared, ready" is not appropriate WRT pizzas:
> 
> TKD 36f.:  There is, it should be noted, a verb {ghuS} which means "to be prepared to launch or project (something)". This verb never takes the subject {-rup}. It is used primarily in reference to torpedoes--so much so that if the object is not specifically stated, and context does not dictate otherwise, it is always assumed to be torpedoes. ... The verb {ghuS} can also be used in reference to, among other things, rockets, missiles,and various kinds of energy beams (which, like torpedoes, go from one point to another). It is also used to describe the action of pulling back the elastic band of a slingshot. In most other instances of preparedness, however, {-rup} is required." 
> 
> 
> There are other words to consider:
> 
> TKD 57: {SuH}, {Su'} and {'eH} all mean that the speaker is about to give a command. They are comparable to the "Ready!" at the beginning of a race: "Ready! Set! Go!"  {SuH} and {Su'}, but not {'eH}, can also be used to indicate that the speaker is ready to do something or that arrangements have been made for something to happen. Some speakers of Klingon pronounce {SuH} as if it were {SSS}, almost like the English expression for "be quiet": shhh!"
> 
> - 'eH! 
>  Ready! (response to a command, i.e. "Standing by.") ST:TMP
>  [N.B. {'eH} is an exclamation, not a verb)
> 
> - SuH!
>  "Ready!" (Stand by!) (TNG "Redemption I")
> 
> - HablI', Su': labbeH. 
>  Ready to transmit. ST3
> 
> - SSS... baH! 
>  Ready... fire! ST:TMP
>   [when the captain raised his hand in preparation for the order to fire]
> 
> - SSS... mev!  ba'!
>  Do not do that! Sit! PK 
> 
> 
> {ghuH} prepare for (v.)
> 
> - may' yIghuH 
>  Battle Alert! ST3 
> 
> - tlhIngan quv DatIchDI' Seng yIghuH 
>  When you insult a Klingon's honor, prepare for trouble. TKW
> 
> Of course, this only applies in self-serve restauraunts, which are not mentioned in "Klingon for the Galactic Traveller" (perhaps Klingons don't have them):
> 
> KGT 100ff.:  The person who takes the order and brings the food is the {jabwI'} ("server") ... When taking a table's order, the {jabwI'} neither writes anything down nor enters data into a computer. It is considered the duty of the {jabwI'} to remember ({qaw}) the choices and to bring the correct food, and servers tend to be quite skilled at this. On the rare occasion when the {jabwI'} has remembered incorrectly ({qawHa'}), the patron may reject ({lajQo'}) the dish. If the patron rejects a dish that the server believes has been properly remembered, however, the misunderstanding could develop into minor combat. For most of the other diners in the restaurant, this is regarded as an exhilarating diversion. The actual eating of a meal at a restaurant is done in accordance with the same rules of etiquette as any other meal, as described earlier. If anything additional is desired during the meal--more food or drink, for example--the server is called over by shouting {jabwI'!} ("Server!") If a refill of the drink order is all that is needed, some time can be saved by adding {wI'oj} ("We're thirsty" [sic]) to the shout.
> 
> KGT 102f.:  Some restaurants post a sign reading {moD Soj} ("the food hurries"). This means that the restaurant, sometimes called a {Do Qe'} ("velocity restaurant"), caters to those who have a limited amount of time to eat before returning to their various duties. In such an establishment, the menu is limited and changes quite infrequently. Orders are given and taken quickly, and lingering is uncommon. Each dish is prepared and served in one way and one way only, so it is inappropriate, for example, to say whether sauce is desired. The person taking the order is, in this case, called not a {jabwI'} (server) but, instead, a {tebwI'} (filler), presumably because he or she fills a platter ({'elpI'}) with the requested food. Customers, even those who have never been in the establishment before, are assumed to be familiar with all details of the fare and procedures. It is not uncommon for a {tebwI'} to become a bit testy (a subtle change in temperament, to be sure) if a customer hesitates or asks questions while giving an order. Other customers will probably show their annoyance as well. A regular patron of a {Do Qe'} tends to order the same dishes on each visit.
> 
> 
> --
> Voragh                          
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
> 
> 
> 
> 
>

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