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

[Bellerophon, modeler]

{tlhegh} seems to carry the idea of a continuous line with some thickness
or substance, as opposed to {SIrgh} (consisting of a single strand) or
{mIr} (consisting of individual links). The substance of which a {tlhegh}
is formed can be {SIrghmey}, {mu'mey}, {vIt}, or even {nugh}. And in the
cases of spoken Klingon or the {nugh tlhegh}, the extent seems to be in
time or through society rather than in distance, as with a rope.
(Interesting that "sentence" is translated {mu'tlhegh} and not {*mu'mIr}.
Do Klingons conceive of the words in a sentence as strands rather than
individual links? That the force of each word in a sentence extends for the
whole length of the sentence, rather than merely interacting with adjacent
words?)

There seem to be no Klingon words for stripe, strip, bar, band, or such
words denoting a wide or narrow non-branching surface feature of some
length, which is flat or nearly so, such as on flags, roads, clothing, etc.
Some words that denote objects (or effects) of this sort are {qoSta'},
{gho}, {qogh}, {joQ}, {tIH}, {Ha'quj}, and of course {tlhegh}.

There was a long discussion about {qoSta'} (ghunchu'wI' started the thread
on 29 July 2013), which apparently means ribbon or tape and to denote form.
Also if the ribbon-like shape forms a loop, there are {Ha'quj} /baldric,
sash/ and {gho} /hoop/. {Ha'quj} seems to denote function, but {gho} seems
likely to denote form. Also, there is {qogh} /belt/, which may only denote
an article of clothing. There is also {joQ} /rib/ that might serve in some
contexts, but except as part of a {SuSDeq}, is possibly only an anatomical
term (and perhaps that part of a susdek is made from a rib). And {tIH}
/ray, beam/ is obviously a stream of energy and not a solid object, though
I'd expect it to be used to describe the ray decorations on the flag of
Tibet or the Japanese naval ensign.

How would one translate stripes or bands of color on flags or clothing,
painted lines on roadways, phaser strips on starships, etc? Aside from the
literal translations, are there any canon references in which {tlhegh} or
any of these other words is used to denote such a surface feature or
object? No doubt they'd be context sensitive and idiomatic, as in English,
etc.

~'eD


On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 8:18 AM, Felix Malmenbeck <felixm at kth.se> wrote:

> In paq'batlh, the word is used to refer to lines of people.
>
> paq'batlh, paq'raD, Canto 1, Stanza 9:
>
> ghe’tor lojmIt lughoS
> Heghpu'bogh nuvpu’ qa’pu’
> chen wej tlheghmey
>
> The spirits of the dead
> Go to the gates of Gre'thor
> In lines of three.
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Steven Boozer [sboozer at uchicago.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2013 16:41
> To: tlhingan-hol at kli.org
> Subject: Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: tlhegh
>
> > Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 02, 2013
> >
> > Klingon word: tlhegh
> > Part of speech: noun
> > Definition: line, rope
>
> AFAIK there are no examples of the simple noun in a sentence.
>
> HQ 5.1:  The usual term for proverb is {vIttlhegh}, literally "truth rope"
> and formed, no doubt, by analogy with {mu'tlhegh} "sentence" or, literally,
> "word rope".
>
> Okrand wrote to Qov (8/2012):
>
>   The word for bridge (as in over a river) is {QI}
>   ... that would apply to the kind of rope bridge
>   you described (as well as more substantial bridges).
>
> Related vocabulary:
>
> SIrgh           string, thread, filament (n)
> mIr                     chain (n)
>
> mu'tlhegh               sentence (n)
> vIttlhegh               proverb (n)
>
> nugh tlhegh     "society rope" (??) KCD
>
> This last is an odd one, possibly meaning socially acceptable
> (upper-class?) behavior.  (Compare "party line".)  OTOH this may refer to
> the six painstik-wielding warriors who form the gauntlet (or "River of
> Pain") for a young Klingon during his {nentay}.  The expression appears in
> the KCD novelization as:
>
>   "Pok has yet to complete the Second Rite of Ascension.
>   In the eyes of the {nugh tlhegh} he is still a boy."
>
>
> --
> Voragh
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tlhingan-hol mailing list
> Tlhingan-hol at kli.org
> http://mail.kli.org/mailman/listinfo/tlhingan-hol
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tlhingan-hol mailing list
> Tlhingan-hol at kli.org
> http://mail.kli.org/mailman/listinfo/tlhingan-hol
>



-- 
My modeling blog:          http://bellerophon-modeler.blogspot.com/
My other modeling blog:  http://bellerophon.blog.com/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.kli.org/pipermail/tlhingan-hol/attachments/20131004/87062c82/attachment.html>