tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 24 12:29:20 2011
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RE: vIHpu'ghach Hab
Krenath:
> 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?
Probably not, considering that {Hab SoSlI' Quch} "Your mother has a smooth forehead!" is considered "the most insulting curse of all" (PK). {Hab} shows up in slangy variations of the {law'/puS} formula marking the lesser of two nouns. E.g. KGT (p. 179):
tlhIngan yoH ghegh verengan yoH Hab
The Klingon is braver than the Ferengi (slang)
although - go figure! - the reverse order is also heard:
tlhIngan yoH Hab verengan yoH ghegh
The Klingon is braver than the Ferengi (slang)
> Would Klingons not have a native phrase that they would be more
> inclined to use in a sarcastic or self-deprecatingly sarcastic way?
Klingons aren't particularly known for their modesty and self-deprecation, but replacement proverbs {qa'meH vIttlheghmey} - uttered to regain lost {quv} "honor" or "face" after an embarrassing action or social gaffe - fill this role in Klingon culture.
Okrand does discuss a very few examples of {mu'mey ghoQ} which may have similary meaning to "cool" or "smooth":
KGT 159-61: The verb {qu'} literally means "be fierce". In its slang sense, it may be used adjectivally, as in {taj qu'} (excellent knife; literally, "fierce knife"), or as the main verb in a sentence, as in {qu' taj} (the knife is excellent; literally, "the knife is fierce"). Though, from the Klingon point of view, equating being fierce with being great, wonderful, and so on seems quite natural, the slang meaning of {qu'} probably receives further support because it sounds just like the verb suffix {-qu'}, which is used for emphasis ... When applied to people or animals, it is not always clear whether the slang or nonslang meaning of {qu'} is intended. That is, {SuvwI' qu'} (fierce warrior) could be interpreted literally, or it could mean excellent warrior. When applied to anything other than people or animals, the slang meaning is more likely. Thus, {may' qu'} (fierce battle) is really a way of saying excellent battle. In Klingon, only a participant in a battle, not the battle itself, can literally be described as fierce. The word {qu'} may also be used as an exclamation (Great! Wonderful!). In this sense, it seems to be interchangeable with {chong} (literally, "be vertical"; see page 148). The slang usage of {qu'} is currently extremely common among Klingons, and it has pretty much displaced another slang term with the same set of meanings (excellent, wonderful, etc.), {Huv} (literally, "be clear, not obstructed"), which was in vogue not all that long ago. The use of {Huv} for "excellent" is now considered old-fashioned. This is also the case with {nong} ("passionate"), an even older slang term for excellent. (As of this writing, the slang usage of {nong} seems to be making a comeback, but it is still too early to say whether this will really happen.) Nonslang verbs expressing similar ideas are {Dun} (be wonderful, great), {pov} (be excellent), and, as an exclamation, {maj!} (Good!).
KGT 149: See also {qu'} (literally, "be fierce"), another slang term used to express approval.
KGT 155: Slang terms expressing the opposite of {natlh} - that is, approval - are {chong} (literally, "be vertical") and {qu'} (literally, "be fierce").
KGT 164f.: The opposite meaning - that is, profound, thorough and good - is often expressed by the slang verbs {chong} (literally, "be vertical") and {qu'} (literally, "be fierce").
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons