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

[lojmIt tI'wI' nuv 'utlh]

This is the kind of thing that made me wince back when I maintained the New Words List. What are we trying to do here? Are we trying to collect a lexicon toward the mission of giving people a useful set of tools to express meaning using the language, or are we just trying to collect everything Okrand says?

Okrand has conflicting missions. On one hand, he works to create a remarkably versatile and functional language. On the other hand, he gets paid by people who say, “Gimme a word for an animal that this guy pulls out of his pocket who represents apathy!”

So, he fulfills what he’s paid to do and then we are left to decide whether this is a throwaway term improvised to handle a unique request, or if it is something deserving of a spot in the official lexicon. I’m sure that editors of the OED face the same problem every day.

And, I am delighted to not have to make this decision.

pItlh.

lojmIt tI’wI’ nuv ‘utlh
Door Repair Guy, Retired Honorably

On Feb 14, 2014, at 10:31 AM, qurgh lungqIj <qurgh at wizage.net> wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 10:13 AM, Lieven <levinius at gmx.de> wrote:
> 
> Am 14.02.2014 16:01, schrieb qurgh lungqIj:
> 
> Klingon Word of the Day for Friday, February 14, 2014
> 
> Klingon word: SaHHa'
> ...
> Source: Marc Okrand
> 
> Really? ...Duh!  ;- )
> 
> 
> That means it came directly from him (via a Facebook mail) and not via a published source. Here's what he said:
> 
> For "apathy" and "corruption," since they're animals pulled out of a pocket (if I remember correctly), he went with:
> 
> "apathy" (or "apathy creature") - {SaHHa'wI'} "one who is not concerned" or pIlHa'wI' "unmotivated one" (that doesn't work well in this sans serif Facebook typeface!).
> 
> "corruption" (or "corruption creature") - {quvHa'wI'} "dishonored one"
> 
> If it works better to to have concepts rather than beings/animals for these words, he offered:
> 
> "apathy"  {SeHHa'ghach}  ("disinterest")
> "corruption" {quvHa'ghach}  ("dishonor")
> 
> qurgh
> 
>  
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