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

[Rohan Fenwick]

ghItlhpu' qurgh, jatlh:
> Klingon word: chuy
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: sneeze
> Source: HQ:v12n4p8

jang Voragh, jatlh:
> PUN: achoo!

I don't know it's really a pun as much as just sound-symbolism or onomatopoeia. We don't have much of that in Klingon - though note {vIng} "whine", {Qom} "experience an earthquake", {tlhup} "whisper" - but compare Russian /chikhat'/, Albanian /teshtij/, Arabic /`aTasa/, all "to sneeze". (Tangentially, I also notice that some bright spark has posted to Wiktionary a number of the verbs from Anthony Traill's dictionary of !Xóõ, among which is this extraordinary piece of sound-symbolism: /gǂˣáˀã/ "to sneeze, to snort".)

taH:
> Is {chuyDaH} "thrusters" - {chuy} + {DaH} "bank, array" - related?
> (They do eject exhaust gases with some force that propel the vehicle.)

A very great likelihood, I should think. Perhaps a shortening of *{chuymeH DaH} - maybe engineers' slang? :)

QeS
 		 	   		  
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