[Tlhingan-hol] A moment of clarity

[Rohan Fenwick]

ghItlhpu' lojmIt tI'wI' nuv, jatlh:
> Persian messenger: Separtanpu’! rejeyta’! nuHmeylIj tIchaghchugh

{tIchaghchugh}? Surely it should be either {bochaghchugh} or {tIchagh}.

jang qunnoQ HoD, jatlh:
> why {Separtanpu'} and not {Spartanpu'} ?

As ghunchu'wI' points out, lojmIt tI'wI' nuv's choice here has to do with the fact that Klingon syllables cannot start with more than one consonant. So in order for a Klingon to pronounce it comfortably, there has to be a vowel inserted between them. From the EuroTalk CD, for instance, we know that "strawberry" becomes {Sutra'ber naH}, "France" becomes {vIraS}, "grape" becomes {ghIrep naH}.

ghItlhqa'pu' lojmIt tI'wI' nuv, jatlh:
> vaj SuyIntaH ‘e’ wIchaw’qang.

> Leonidas: nuHmaj boSuqlaH’a’? ghotob jay’!

It carries the meaning, but is too wordy. The Spartans, via their home province of Laconia, were responsible for the adjective "laconic", and Leonidas's two-word reply of "molôn labe" - literally, "having come, take" - is often cited as being a classic example of laconic (or Laconic, in fact) speech. Its brevity is a large part of what gives it its punch.

I think SuStel has it on the nose with {Ha', tItlhap}.

QeS 'utlh 		 	   		  
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