[1198] in tlhIngan-Hol
Jottlez-vous francais?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Jul 6 13:13:09 1993
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: Randy Kloko <rkk@mail.lib.duke.edu>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 93 09:36:02 EST
Q. Why do Terrans find the phrase "Jottlez-vous francais"
so funny?
A. Because nobody speaks French anymore, except for the odd
phrase in cant and argot. Indeed, a favorite figure of fun
from Terran history is the so-called "Last Frenchman":
Jean-Luc Picard. He was head of Star Fleet when the
Federation lost the Third Klingon War.
Q. How did Terrans manage to contort "pabpo'" into
"pooh-bah"?
A. During a late 24th century production of the "Mikado"
(at a time when mandatory Klingon instruction was still a
hotly debated issue) the singer playing Pooh-bah improvised
these lines:
"I think that you should recollect
You cannot show too much respect
Towards the mighty pabpo'pu',
But nobody does, so why should yu'?"
The term survived the singer.
