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

[Brent Kesler]

English also uses the word "inverter" to denote a NOT logic gate in digital
circuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverter_(logic_gate)

Basically it turns 1's into 0's and 0's into 1's. I think "turn upside
down" is a much more direct metaphor for logical inverters than electrical
inverters.

bI'reng

On Fri, Oct 9, 2015 at 11:20 AM, Will Martin <lojmitti7wi7nuv at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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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