[Tlhingan-hol] How do we know what -Ha' means? (Was: Re: ramwI'mey)

[Robyn Stewart]

At 12:13 28/02/2012, you wrote:
>A discussion about a misunderstood word (attached below) has led to 
>a question about how we know what -Ha' means. I don't remember 
>having had much trouble with it in context, or people unable to 
>understand my usage. Do we just use context and canon? I'll pick 
>some random verbs and you tell me what your tlhIngan Hol Duj tells 
>you they mean. Qagh pagh lagh pagh Dap? I'll give my impressions in 
>another e-mail so as not to prejudice your choices.

I deliberately picked these without thinking about them and avoided 
ones that were canon or commonly used.

>nenHa'

Doesn't make much sense without context. It could be used in a 
discussion of a genetic problem that made an organism mature 
incorrectly, and I would also accept it in the Curious Life of 
Benjamin Button sense.

>cha'Ha'

I think of someone displaying a slide upside down or botching a demo.

>SevHa'

The error meaning and the undo meaning aren't that far apart. jagh 
wISevHa' -- pujmo' 'ev SuvwI'pu'ma' narghpu' jagh.

>wuDHa'

Context could make it sleep apnea. I would object to someone trying 
to make it mean wuDbe'choH.

>tlhIvHa'

Compliant, respectful of superiors.

>jeghHa'

Accidentally waved a red flag instead of a white one OR rescinded a 
surrender. I'd have to wait for context.

>'IqHa'

I wouldn't know. I'd look for indications it meant yapbe' and way way 
too many such that a bad thing happened. I would suggest a clearer 
way to express the meaning.

>pumHa'

Mistakenly accuse, fall wrong (i.e. in an anctivity where falls are 
normal like skiing, judo, fall and hurt yourself), or in a record 
played backwards, un-fall.

>HeSHa'

Could be to redeem oneself for a crime, but it would need context.

My conclusion from the exercise is nothing new: context is everything 
and no isolated word "means" something in Klingon.

I just peeked at SuStel's and see that we match in some cases and 
where we don't the interpretations he has all seem doable in context.

- Qov


>Feel free to add more, add examples, write context, whatever adds to 
>the discussion.
>
>- Qov
>
>>lojmIt tI'wI' nuv:
>> >> > vIlagh. vIlaghHa'. vIlaghqa'. vIlaghHa'qa'. jImon.
>>
>>De'vID:
>> >> DalaghHa''a'?  pagh Damutlh'a'?
>> >> {laghHa'} lo'lu'chugh laghDI' Qagh 'e' vIQub.  ghaytan DalaghHa'be'.
>>
>>Qov:
>> > jIQochqu'. lagh 'ej laghHa'bej. mu'mey ngo' Qaw'be' mu'mey chu'.
>>
>>pIj {-Ha'} vIyajbe'.  ghorgh {Qagh} 'oS 'ej ghorgh "undo, be/do the
>>opposite" 'oS?
>>
>>rut {Qagh} 'oSba':
>>{jatlhHa'}
>>{bachHa'}
>>
>>"unspeak", "unshoot" je chavlaHbe'mo' vay' "misspeak", "misfire" je 'oSba'.
>>
>>rut "be the opposite" 'oSba':
>>{belHa'}
>>{QuchHa'}
>>
>>rut "undo, do the opposite" 'oS:
>>{tuQHa'}
>>{buSHa'}
>>{nobHa'}
>>{parHa'}
>>
>>{tatlh} neH 'oSbe' {nobHa'}.  {nobpu' ghIq tatlh} 'oS.
>>
>>qatlh "un-disassemble" 'oS {laghHa'} 'ej "mis-disassemble" 'oSbe'?
>>vIyajbe'.  {laghHa'} vIlaDDI' {laghDI' Qagh} 'e' vIyaj.
>>
>>De'vID:
>> >> (mu' chu' 'oH {mutlh}'e'.  qen wISuqpu'.)
>>
>>Qov:
>> > laghbe'pu'chugh 'ej HIch chenmoHmeH 'ay'mey Sar lo'chugh chaq 
>> mutlh. laghpu'DI' laghHa'bej.
>>
>>ramqu' mu' chu'.  {mutlh} wIHutlhchugh, {laghHa'} vIyajmeH choHbe'
>>mIw.  {-Ha'} vIyajbe'law' neH.
>
>
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