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

[Will Martin]

wejpuH.

The problem here, of course, is that in English, we use the word “inverter” to describe a device that converts Direct Current (DC) electricity, like from a battery or solar panel, into Alternating Current (AC), like from a wall socket in an average home. It doesn’t actually turn anything upside down. It uses power transistors, which are basically fast, electronic switches to switch between one polarity and another polarity. We probably should have called them “polarity reversers” and not “inverters”.

In other words, you have two wires. One is positive. One is negative. “Square wave” inverters switch which wire is which 120 times a second for 60 cycle AC current. Or modified sine wave inverters typically switch 480 times a second between off, 55 volts positive, 110 volts positive, 55 volts positive, off, 55 volts negative, 110 volts negative, 55 volts negative, and off.

Or “True Sine Wave” inverters are actually modified sine wave inverters placed in line with large-mass 1:1 transformers, using the magnetic inertia of the iron core to smooth out the steps in the stepped waves to create smooth sine waves of AC current.

So, in English, we used the word “invert” instead of “reverse” to describe what we’re doing to the electrical polarity of the wires, and Okrand takes the term “invert” and takes the “make something upside down” interpretation of the term, and here we have a poorly descriptive English term for the task at hand that has perhaps now become a poorly descriptive Klingon term, unless of course, a Klingon {yoymoHwI’} is something that actually turns things upside down, and doesn’t have anything to do with converting DC to AC.

Unless {yoymoH} actually has a broader scope of meaning, like “invert”, and while both CAN mean “cause to be upside down”, they also can refer to other kinds of reversals of state.

[sigh]

pItlh
lojmIt tI'wI'nuv



> On Oct 9, 2015, at 10:58 AM, Steven Boozer <sboozer at uchicago.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Klingon Word of the Day for Friday, October 09, 2015
>> 
>> Klingon word: yoymoHwI'
>> Part of speech: noun
>> Definition: inverter
>> Source:
> 
> Bill Willmerdinger, BabelCon 2 [4/07/1997]:
> 
>  "I had needed some technobable once and created 'inverter' ...
>   which Marc [Okrand] said was perfect." 
> 
> SEE ALSO:
> yoy  		be upside down (v)
> chong 	be vertical (v)
> taH 		be at a negative angle (v)
> lol 		be in an attitude (v)
> 
> 
> --
> Voragh
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
> 
> 
> 
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