[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: ngaDmoH

[David Trimboli]

On 10/26/2011 10:28 AM, Steven Boozer wrote:
>
>
> Voragh:
>>> {ngaDHa'}  be unstable, be unbalanced  (vb.)
>
>>> [...] Okrand did discuss the slang phrase {Duj ngaDHa'}
>>> "irresponsible/undisciplined person":
>>>
>>> KGT 150:  This expression means literally "unstable vessel,
>>> unbalanced vessel." [...] the verb {ngaD} ("be stable,
>>> balanced", here followed by the negative suffix {-Ha'}) normally
>>> applies to a ship or a physical object, not to a situation or a
>>> person. It would be inappropriate to refer to a person as {ngaD}
>>> or {ngaDHa'} in a phrase such as *{tera'ngan ngaDHa'} ("unstable
>>> Terran"). A standard verb that is close in meaning is {ngIj}
>>> ("rowdy, unruly"), as in {tera'ngan ngIj} ("rowdy Terran").
>
> SuStel:
>> {Duj ngaDHa'} in KGT was also the first time we saw {-Ha'} on an
>> adjectivally acting verb. Prior to that we'd only seen {-qu'} in
>> TKD ({veng tInqu'Daq} "in the big city") and {-be'} in CK ({wa'maH
>> yIHmey lI'be'} "ten useless tribbles").
>
> Another example from KGT is {'eyHa'}:
>
> KGT 84:  All food is considered to be good in its natural state; it
> takes the intervention of a "cook" to ruin it. Thus, the word
> {'eyHa'}, used to describe food that is edible but is not
> particularly tasty, means something like "undelicious", implying that
> someone caused it to cease being delicious.

Yes, but it wasn't used adjectivally there. There has always been the 
question of what suffixes can be used on verbs being used adjectivally. 
So far we've seen -qu', -be', and -Ha'.

-- 
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/