[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: SuH

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, March 29, 2016
> 
> Klingon word: SuH
> Part of speech: excl
> Definition: ready, standing by

  SSS... baH! 
  Ready... fire! STMP 

[captain raises his hand in preparation for the order to fire at V'Ger]

  'eH! 
  Ready! STMP

[response to a command, i.e. "Standing by."]

  SSS... mev!  ba'! 
  Do not do that! Sit! PK [pet command]

  HablI', Su': labbeH. 
  Ready to transmit.  ST3 
  ["Data transceiving device, attention: prepare to transmit."?]

["My interpretation of Valkris' ... line in ST3 as a [clipped] command to the data-transceiving device (analogous to a pet command) was confirmed.  Apparently the subtitle `Ready to transmit' is not very good. [....]  When I mentioned to Okrand at qep'a' loSDIch that I thought that this was in the form of a `pet command', he said it was a valid interpretation." (ghunchu'wI')]

  SuH!
  "Ready!" Stand by! (TNG "Redemption I")

  SuH tayvam tIQ wIlopchoHjaj 
  We are ready, let us commence this ancient rite. PB


USAGE NOTES:
TKD 57:  {SuH}, {Su'} and {'eH} all mean that the speaker is about to give a command. They are comparable to the "Ready!" at the beginning of a race: "Ready! Set! Go!" {SuH} and {Su'}, but not {'eH}, can also be used to indicate that the speaker is ready to do something or that arrangements have been made for something to happen. Some speakers of Klingon pronounce {SuH} as if it were {SSS}, almost like the English expression for "be quiet": shhh!

Seqram [date?]:  {Su'/SuH} is an exclamation which is used when about to give orders, usually to people... It's obviously socially acceptable in Klingon speech, because Klingons say it to each other. It happens that some people pronounce {Su'} like {SSS}, but it's still the same word with the same meaning. Now, because it means "Yo, listen up," {SSS} is also used when ordering animals. That's a borrowing from ordinary commands, I would think. Although we're told that {SSS} should precede all pet commands, we are NOT told that it should ONLY precede commands to pets. Indeed, we are told (TKD p.57) that it means the speaker is about to give orders, presumably to people.


ETYMOLOGY:
{SSS} and {'eH} were two of the eleven original Klingon words created by James Doohan and spoken by Mark Lenard (through a set of prosthetic teeth) in the opening scene of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (STMP) which Marc Okrand subsequently used as the basis for tlhIngan Hol.


SEE ALSO:
ghuH 		prepare for (v)
ghuS 		prepare to launch (v)
qeq 		practice, train, prepare (v)

-beH 		ready, set up [devices] (vb suffix)
-rup 		ready, prepared [beings] (vb suffix)


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