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

[Steven Boozer]

mayql qunenoS wrote:
>> 'aj tey'be' SoHmo' qaHoHbe' 'e' DaHar. tagha'Ha' 'aj vIHoH, ghIq qaHoH
>> je don't believe that because you are the admiral's cousin I will not
>> kill you. first I will kill the admiral, then I will kill you too.

SuStel: 
> {tagha'Ha'} might work. I'm always leery of using {-Ha'} on an adverbial
> we haven't seen it on before, in case it doesn't mean what I think it
> means.
> 
> In {paq'batlh} we see {wa'DIch} being used as this kind of "first":
> 
>     wa'DIch Hegh moratlh
>     wej SuvwI' SuvtaHvIS
>     mongDaj DuQlu' 'ej Hegh
> 
>     ghIq Hegh qanjIt
>     qeylIS retlhDaq Suv
>     wa' jagh HoHta' HeghtaHvIS
> 
>     First, Morath fell,
>     Fighting three men at once,
>     A fatal wound in his neck killed him.
> 
>     Then, Kanjit fell,
>     Fighting at Kahless's side,
>     Killing one enemy while he fell.
> 
> So you could say {wa'DIch 'aj vIHoH, ghIq qaHoH je} "first I kill the
> admiral, then I kill you too."[] 

Okrand used {wa'DIch} - and other ordinal numbers - in this way in another part of paq'batlh (Kahless is speaking):

   SuH
     tayvam tIQ
     wIlopchoHjaj

   We are ready,
     Let us commence
     This ancient rite.

   wa'DIch nach 'ay'
     cha'DIch ghIv 'ay'
     wejDIch burgh 'ay'
     loSDIch bIng 'ay'
     vaghDIch Dung 'ay'
     tagha' tIq Hoch botlh
     Hochlogh Dat joqtaHjaj

   First Nach, the form of the head,
     Then Ghiv, the form of the legs and arms,
     Then Burgh, the form of the stomach,
     Then Bing, the form of the space above and below,
     And Dung, the space beside
     And finally Tiq, the heart and center of all things,
     May it forever beat, anywhere.

Some have speculated that {tayvam tIQ} "this ancient rite" is in a form of {no' Hol} and so doesn't reflect "current" 24th century practice.
 

--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons