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

[Noah Bogart]

I live in a part of my city known as Clifton, and I and my friends have
come up with a name for the various people we don't know but we end up
seeing frequently in the same places: Cliftonites (or maybe Clifton-ites).
{vIl} sounds like the same concept, where the person is a part of the
landscape and while you may or may not interact with them, they're not
relevant to your goings-on. Is that correct?

On Mon, Jul 9, 2012 at 9:26 AM, Steven Boozer <sboozer at uchicago.edu> wrote:

> > Klingon word:   vIl
> > Part of speech: noun
> > Definition:     speed bump
>
>
>   "The noun {vIl} is hard to define. Maltz had given a description of
> something which was immediately recognized as a speed bump by everyone
> present, but it was apparently intended not as an actual definition but as
> an example of something which is 'just there'. There is obviously an
> etymological relationship with {vIlle'}, which is currently the best clue
> we have to its true meaning. Consider someone who keeps showing up when you
> go places. This person doesn't necessarily have any particular importance
> to what you're doing, and it wouldn't matter to you at all if he or she
> weren't present, but the person is 'just there'. That would be a {vIl}. It
> also can describe someone who hangs around, ready to help out, whether or
> not you need anyone to help you. Again, it wouldn't make any difference to
> you if the person weren't there. Here is a direct quote from Marc Okrand:
>  "A {vIlle'}, on the other hand, is definitely someone you want to have
> around--a follower, disciple, fan, admirer, minion." ('Groupie' and
> 'entourage' were suggested by those present at the time, but Marc didn't
> think they fit.)"  [ghunchu'wI', 7/26/2009]
>
>   "{vIl} strikes me more as referring to someone or something you keep
> noticing, rather than something or someone you would intentionally look
> for. When I asked Marc Okrand whether sidekick would be an appropriate
> term, he said no, and gave this example: "It would apply to this woman I
> know who seems to show up (as an audience member or an usher or something)
> at every play I go to. I don't know why she's always there, but it's
> weird."  [ghunchu'wI', 7/27/2009]
>
> Be careful not to confuse these:
>
> vIl     be ridgy (forehead) (v)
> vIlHom          ridge (forehead) (n.)
> vIlInHoD  a bird capable of mimicking speech (n)
> vIlle'          follower, disciple, fan, admirer, minion (n.)
>
>
> --
> Voragh
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
>
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