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

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, November 03, 2015
> 
> Klingon word: mI'
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: dance, run in place, do calisthenics, exercise


KGT 207:  Sometimes seemingly ordinary concepts cannot be expressed easily. For example, the Klingon verb {mI'} may be translated "dance", but it also means exercise, do calisthenics, do martial arts movements. The central idea of {mI'} is that a physical activity is performed that results in no change, other than, perhaps, in the well-being of the person performing the action. Thus, it is wrong to use {mI'} for run to a place, though it is quite appropriate to use it for run in place. No term in Federation Standard means quite the same thing as Klingon {mI'}. By the same token, no word in Klingon means quite the same thing as Federation Standard "dance". At many Klingon festivals, a popular group of performers is called the {qul mI'wI'pu'}, usually translated as "fire dancers". Since what the performer is doing is properly designated by the verb {mI'} but not really accurately described by the translation "dance", the visitor--particularly one who learned the Klingon word only by its usual Federation Standard translation--is in for quite a surprise when the show begins.

HQ 10.2:10:  The [toe] verbs are used in the same way the finger verbs are used, though, except for when talking about martial arts [{moQbara'} *Mok'bara*] movements and certain positions in Klingon classical ballet (never performed with shoes or boots), the verbs are not heard very often and are, in fact, considered archaic.

ST Enc. (p.207):  Worf taught the *Mok'bara* to his fellow captives at the secret Romulan prison camp in the Carraya System in 2369. The exercises, designed to enhance one's agility in hand-to-hand combat, helped to revive the dormant warrior spirit among the captives there ("Birthright II" [TNG]).

We saw the slow t'ai ch'i-like exercizes in TNG "A Man of the People" (cf. ill. TKW 198)

Use {tonSaw'} "fighting technique" for an individual movement (KGT) 


SEE ALSO:
mI'wI'  	dancer, exerciser (n)

qet 		run (v)
yIt 		walk (v)
gho' 		step on (v)
qeq 		practice, train, prepare (v)
vIH 		move, be in motion (v)

N.B. Do not confuse with the noun {mI'} "number".



--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons