[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: qaywI'

[Felix Malmenbeck]

{qay} and {qaywI'} are excellent examples for highlighting the importance of apostrophes and capitalization in romanized Klingon:

qay = (verb) "use the middle finger"
qay' = (verb) "be a hassle"
Qay = (verb) "transfer"
Qay' = (verb) "use the little toe" (or "blow one's top")


________________________________________
From: Steven Boozer [sboozer at uchicago.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 16:23
To: tlhingan-hol at kli.org
Subject: Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: qaywI'

> Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012
>
> Klingon word:   qaywI'
> Part of speech: noun
> Definition:     second finger, middle finger
> Source:         HQ:v10n2p7

The nomen agentis of {qay} "use the second (middle) finger".  AFAIK never used in canon.

PUN:
Cf. Lake Cayuga, one of the Finger Lakes in New York State.

MNEMONIC:
In American culture, sticking your middle finger up at someone is an insult; so if you were to {qay} someone, it could be a problem {qay'}. (taD)

Language notes:

HQ 10.2 (p.7-9):  "the word {nItlh} "finger" means any finger, including the thumb. A hand has {vagh nItlhDu'} (five fingers), not {loS nItlhDu'} (four fingers) and a thumb. There is a specific word referring to each of the five fingers, and these words are nouns derived from verbs by means of the suffix {-wI'} (thing which does); there are two pairs for thumb. The Federation Standard translation of the verbs is a little strained, but they mean something like "use (the specific finger)". The associated 'finger nouns' would be literally, though quite awkwardly, "thing which is used in a thumb-like manner" or perhaps "thing which thumbs" or even "thumber"; "thing which is used in an index finger-like manner"; and so on. The verbs and the associated nouns are:
    {Sen} use the thumb, {SenwI'} thumb;
    {rIl} use the thumb, {rIlwI'} thumb;
    {SIq} use the index finger, {SIqwI'} index finger, first finger;
    {qay} use the second finger, {qaywI'} second finger;
    {qew} use the ring finger, {qewwI'} ring finger, third finger;
    {qan} use the pinkie, {qanwI'} pinkie, little finger. [...]
  The 'finger verbs' are used when talking about specific ways of using a particular device (weapon, computer control panel, even musical instrument) or when describing specific ways to use fingers (as in movements in some martial arts). [...]
  When used with nouns with the locative suffix {-Daq}, the finger verbs mean "point (with a specific finger) at or towards". [...]
  There are some special uses of the reflexive forms of the finger verbs. For example, while {ghIchwIj vISIq} means "I touch my nose with my index finger" and {ghIchwIjDaq jISIq} means "I point at my nose with my index finger", the phrase {ghIchwIjDaq jISIq'egh} (with {-'egh} "oneself"), literally "I use at myself my index finger at my nose", is used for "I pick my nose with my index finger". Similarly, {nujDajDaq rIl'egh ghu}, literally "at his/her mouth, the baby uses at him/herself his/her thumb", is used for "the baby sucks its thumb".

KGT 81:  The verb {ngoH}, meaning "smear" in other contexts, is used for {paint using fingers".


Related words:

nItlh   finger (n)
Heng    finger holes in a musical instrument (v)
'uy             press down (v)


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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