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

[De'vID]

On Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 5:58 PM, Steven Boozer <sboozer at uchicago.edu> wrote:
> [KWOTD: maghwI' traitor (n)]
> 'urwI'  traitor (n) [difference from {maghwI'} unknown]
> [...poD...]
> magh    betray, act against (S26) (v)
> 'ur             commit treason (v)

Surely the difference is that a {maghwI'} is a "traitor (betrayer)",
whereas an {'urwI'} is a "traitor (one who commits treason)". The
former leaves open who or what has been betrayed, whereas the latter
specifies that it is a ruler, state, or other political entity
(someone or something the betrayal of whom or which constitutes
treason).

The fact that the English glosses are identical obscures this
difference, but it's clear in the Klingon.

-- 
De'vID