[Tlhingan-hol] tlhIngan cursing

Sun Nov 8 15:16:20 PST 2015

Likely the glosses we are given for curses are sufficient to explain appropriate use. Any actual meaning the words once had have no relevance. 

Take the English “F” word. If it has an actual meaning, it is probably related to the act of having sex, though that has nothing to do with the intent of a person who follows it with “you!”, or with the use of it as a general amplifier with “-ing” added, as in “That’s one f-ing big nose you’ve got there!” or the generic “I don’t like the following” meaning in “This f-ing jerk f-ing insulted my mother’s forehead!” Sex also has nothing to do with the equivalent of “The gig is up!” statement, “We’re f-ed.”

Sex has nothing to do with the phrase, “Don’t f with me,” or “Don’t f with that lawn mower.”

Sex has nothing to do with “The meter of this poem is all f-ed up” or “The tip of this screwdriver is all f-ed up."

Sex has nothing to do with the single word the mechanic utters when he drops his wrench down the silo onto the nuclear warhead, setting off a spark that ignites the leaking hydrogen fuel tank.

So, understanding that the f word refers to the act of having sex won’t help you understand most of the ways the word is used. Likely, Klingon curse words are like that.

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

> On Nov 8, 2015, at 4:16 PM, Fiat Knox <fiat_knox at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> For all we know, what Klingons consider curse words could well be acceptable idioms to us.
> Hu'tegh could well be how one could describe the discovery of a tribble nursery, and Qovpatlh could well be Today is a day of sweet rainbows and fluffy clouds. A toDSaH could well be someone who goes out of his way to help others, but we know that a taHqeq's lies are despicable, which is why it is so insulting to call someone that - perhaps nice guy could be the translation for that.
> 
> 
> 
> On Friday, 6 November 2015, 18:26, qunnoQ HoD <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> interesting information !
> 
> ..and since we are on the subject of cursing,I would like to take the opportunity and say that my two favorite klingon curses are
> 
> 1. Hab SoSlI' Quch
> 2. verengan Ha'DIbaH
> 
> although I would never say the "your mother has a smooth forehead",because I believe that anyone's mother is a sacred figure not to be insulted under any circumstances..
> on the other hand though,the ''ferengi dog'' is one of the most beautiful things to say to someone who pisses you off ! it is a short phrase,said easily when angered,and it somehow "flows out'' of your lips.. it can also be said either with extreme anger,or with a slow,nearly silent contemptuous voice. it's perfect !
> 
> cpt qunnoQ
> 
> On Fri, Nov 6, 2015 at 7:38 PM, nIqolay Q <niqolay0 at gmail.com <mailto:niqolay0 at gmail.com>> wrote:
> If I recall correctly, most of the Klingon curses are just gibberish from the shows, especially the epithets, and MO just transliterated them into Klingon spelling. 
> 
> There's been a few attempts at "folk etymologies" for the curse words, based on similar-sounding words, but nothing definitely authoritative. Maltz thinks the word {taHqeq} is related to the expression {bItaHrup'a'} "Do you want to continue?", which is used defiantly before escalating an argument to the next level (punches or curse warfare). And I think one of the footnotes in paq'batlh suggests that {petaQ} is derived from {petaQ} meaning "you (plural) be weird!", though I think that footnote was not written by Okrand himself. I think there may also be some reluctance on Okrand's part to get too deep into the R-rated language, so there's no definite association to actual objectionable topics.
> 
> For the most part I think you can just translate the curse words to the nearest equivalent in the given language based on the context it's been used in before. {petaQ}, for instance, seems to be roughly equivalent to "asshole, dumbass, bastard", and I think {ghuy'} was translated as "Damn!" in a line written for Star Trek 5.
> 
> On Fri, Nov 6, 2015 at 10:46 AM, qunnoQ HoD <mihkoun at gmail.com <mailto:mihkoun at gmail.com>> wrote:
> I was just reading the tlhIngan epithets and general invectives on the subject of cursing. I read the following epithets {petaQ,toDSaH,taHqeq,yIntagh,Qovpatlh} and the invectives (va'/Qu'vatlh, ghay'cha', baQa', Hu'tegh, QI'yaH, ghuy'cha')
> 
> I didn't see anywhere though,any given meaning or translation of the aforementioned epithets/invectives..
> 
> does this mean that all these epithets/invectives cannot be translated ?
> 
> cpt. qunnoQ
> 
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