[84040] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: other content in KCD
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Boozer)
Thu Jan 24 11:27:12 2008
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:23:57 -0600
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
From: Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu>
In-Reply-To: <f5b478ef0801232029y358d86f6i7c7f2b331f769aa5@mail.gmail.co
m>
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
At 10:29 PM Wednesday 1/23/2008, qa'vaj wrote:
>I found the little manual/booklet for the game last night. I didn't know
>that you could click around on things and learn information about them (from
>a classic-Trek-sounding female computer voice). Has anyone documented this
>stuff anywhere?
I don't think so. Also, don't forget to go through the Language Lab
carefully for Okrand's recorded comments on the entries. AS you go through
KCD, you might want to write them down and share them with the group. I
have a few things I've collected over the years from various sources in my
notes. Here they are FYI in roughly alphabetical order, unformatted:
betleH bey' bat'leth Display
bIQ bal water jug
bIreQtagh bregit lung. First seen in TNG "A Matter of Honor" subsequently
shown on KCD: "Breathing organ of any of a number of Klingon beasts,
prepared in a manner that preserves its tough texture and blotched color."
(via qoror)
bIyem'a' "Will you sin?"
botjan yIchu' "Raise shields!" "The Klingon word botjan refers to shields
or protective force-fields on a ship. The hand-held shield associated with
traditional hand-to-hand combat is called yoD." (Okrand in KCD)
cha'nob ritual gifts KGT (given at a lopno') "Although grammar tells us
that the number is unspecified, to bring only a single gift would be a
horrendous insult."
charghbej vIt "The truth shall conquer." Okrand adds, "In this Klingon
proverb, the suffix -bej, following the verb chargh conquer, means
certainly or undoubtedly. Thus, 'there's no doubt that the truth shall
conquer.' The word for truth is vIt, and it's also found in the word
vItHay', the truth test."
Dajatlhbogh vIyajlaHbe'. yIjatlhqa'! "I find no match for what you just
said. Please say it again." (Disk 3, files \wav\3k.wav and \wav\3e.wav)
DayquS dikus (type of plant). Dikus is an ingredient in ro'qegh'Iwchab
(rokeg blood pie), which will turn out badly if the plant is overcooked.
DenIb Qatlh Denebian Slime Devil (listed in the "Curses" section of the
KCD Language Lab)
Duran lung DIr Durani lizard skins. "Served dried and thinly sliced.
Discovered by a Klingon military unit stranded on Durani I for six months
without supplies." It is a food item which never uses a plural suffix. (KCD)
ghab'etlh ---- (n.) KCD ["A gutting device, used in balance with a shield
when practicing the Klingon warrior fighting style of qIjatlh. (?) One of
three weapons traditionally displayed on the nuH bey'." In the House of
SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber, it's about the size of an iron, but it
has a curved-inward blade. (via qoror)
ghobchuq loDnI'pu' "The Brothers Battle One Another" (title of the
well-known Kahless and Morath statuette in Torghn's house). "Kahless is
the Klingon who brought discipline, order, and honor to the Klingons. He is
held in the highest regard. The statue represents the great battle fought
between Kahless and Morath. Although there are many versions of this theme,
this particular rendering is commonly found in cultured Klingons' homes."
ghojmeH taj boy's knife, practice knife (lit. "knife for learning": A
young Klingon has one of these before he earn's his own d'k tahg in the
Second Rite of Ascension, or nentay.
ghochwI' "The Tracker" [title of a sculpture in Torghn's house. It is a 3D
representation of the constellation ghochwI' which is also the name of the
constellation in the Kahless myth containing the bright star which Boreth
orbits.] KCD
ghojmeH taj boy's knife ("knife for learning")
HIq HIvje' beer stein (can also refer to a wine glass, or any stemware,
crystal, or stoneware used for alcoholic beverages)
HuH slime. In the "Curses" section of KCD: "This word literally means
`bile.'"
lIghon DuQwI' pogh Ligonian spike glove. "It looks like a glove, stood
straight up, finger-area toward the ceiling, in the ceremonial room used
for the nentay, vItHay', and other rituals, filled with spikes.
Unfortunately, the description just says Ligonian spike glove." (KCD, via
qoror)
lopno' an "open house" celebration held on the eve of a young Klingon's
nentay' (coming of age), hosted by his/her father.In the KCD Immersion
Studies Vok says, "The celebration was declared a lopno'. You have invited
all the spirits of our Klingon ancestors." The KCD Language Lab illustrates
a lopno' by showing a group of Klingons gathered around a table with food
and cha'nob gifts.
lung loong (type of lizardlike animal) - "Although lung is translated as
lizard, it actually can refer to any animal of that general shape, such as
a newt or salamander."
luq, ratlh. "Okay, he remains."
*melqa' melka ["A desert dish made from the seeds of the pealain (*pI'len
?) plant. The seeds are fermented, crushed, and jellied." (via qoror)
nalqaD mate challenge. MO's audio tells us that nal is not used as a word
on its own, although it is also found in be'nal "wife" and loDnal
"husband". Technically, it is a bound morpheme, like English "(o)logy".
no' DIr ancestor hanging (wall ornament). A no' DIr is displayed in the
SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber during Pok's lopno' celebration.
nuchpu' cowards. "These nuchpu' fear the very weapons they sell." (KCD
novel p. 85)
nuH bey' Pride of Weapons (a ceremonial display of weapons). In the House
of SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber, the nuH bey' has one bat'leth, one
naQjej, and a ghob'eth, "One of three weapons traditionally displayed on
the nuH bey'."
petaQ a Klingon insult. "No appropriate translation for this epithet has
yet been found."
pItlh Done! All finished! It's "a common exclamation uttered upon the
completion of a project."
qagh gagh (serpent worms) "A wormlike creature native to the Klingon
homeworld. A favorite Klingon delicacy. Rarely, if ever, eaten as a
replicator dish, as it is properly served live." Okrand goes into some
detail on the distinction between ghargh--which refers to serpent worm(s)
as animals--and qagh--which refers to serpent worms alive but with
seasonings and sauce added, served as food, and which is never pluralized.
qeylIS betleH (the Sword of Kahless) is "the most revered item in Klingon
tradition". "Kahless is the Klingon who brought discipline, order, and
honor to the Klingons. He is held in the highest regard."
qeylIS mInDu' "Eyes of Kahless" (a game). "You roll two dice (I think
they have more than six sides), and the other person snatches one in each
hand before you can see how they came up. Then you slap the hand that you
think has the die with the higher number on top, and if you're right, you
win. There can be some additions for extra flavor, such as spitting into
the hand with which you're rolling, or taking a Daqtagh and striking it
down on the table between the two hands." (qoror)
qul tuq "House of Fire" is the title of a popular Klingon opera telling the
tale of the House of SepIch. Qua'lon gave Pok a leather-bound copy of the
score to this opera as his cha'nob.
quv bey' Honor Display. In the House of SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber,
the quv bey' looks like the nuH bey' except that it contains two bat'leths
and two d'k tahgs, as opposed to the nuH bey' which has one bat'leth, one
naQjej, and a ghab'etlh ("one of three weapons traditionally displayed on
the nuH bey'"). (via qoror)
Qapla' "does not mean the same thing as goodbye" but is used as a sort of
salute as warriors go off to battle.
Qa'Hom a little animal (e.g. Ligonian titmouse) "The translation
`titmouse' is really only an approximation of what this word means. A
Qa'Hom is a small animal considered rather insignificant. The word
literally means 'little Qa'.' A Qa' is a larger, more dangerous animal. A
Qa'Hom is not a young Qa', but it does bear a vague resemblance to its
namesake." (Note: the picture is of a small, four-footed rodent with a lot
of hair.) The Qa' is a "type of vicious animal". The word Qa'Hom can
apparently be applied to someone (or some animal) that may act like it's a
vicious Qa' but is, in fact, just a little, harmless creature, fluffing
itself up to make itself look bigger. Note that the entry on Qa'Hom is in
the "Curses" section of the program. The epithet Qa'Hom can apparently be
applied to someone (or some animal) that may act like it's a vicious Qa'
but is, in fact, just a little, harmless creature, fluffing itself up to
make itself look bigger. Calling someone a Qa'Hom obviously implies that he
is weak and unable to defend himself, and thus not worth killing. (This is
how Gowron uses it in the introduction to the KCD Immersion Studies.)
QI'tu' "In Klingon mythology, this was the source of all creation."
QI'yaH vulgar Klingon expression. "This is one of the strongest, most
foul expressions in the Klingon language. It defies adequate translation."
Qoy, qeylIS puqloD! the Klingon national anthem
raHta' racht (Klingon food item shunned when half dead)
reH nuHmey tu'lu'. "There are always weapons."
romuluSngan Sambogh 'ej HoHbogh nejwI' Romulan hunter-killer probe (long
form); the short form is HoHwI'
ro'qegh'Iwchab rokeg blood pie. "A much-favored Klingon dish, difficult to
prepare properly. There are many regional variations of this dish. The
blood feud between the House of Rengath and the House of Dor began when
warriors of each house claimed to have the better recipe." The dikus
(DayquS) plant is an important ingredient; the pie will turn out badly if
that plant is overcooked.
SoS taj mother's knife
tIqnagh tknag (type of animal). "The tknag is a dangerous carnivore native
to Taganika. The skin is tough and leathery, and the tknag is a formidable
prey." It's a large food animal, hunted with a naQjej in the chontay.
tIqnagh lemDu' tknag hooves (a food item, always referred to in the plural)
tu'HomI'raH something useless. HurDaq tu'HomI'raHvetlh yIlan "Get that
piece of junk out of here!"
tlhatlh gladst (type of food). "A dish native to the original inhabitants
of Taganika. When the Eight Houses began their rule of this sector, all the
natives from Taganika were banished to outlying planets. The Klingons,
however, adopted a number of their local dishes."
tlhIngan jIH is the title of a popular opera about the nature of being
Klingon.
veQ garbage. One should enunciate this insult clearly. The KCD entry
mentions that the word veH "boundary" carries no negative connotations at all.
verengan Ha'DIbaH Ferengi dog. "This phrase literally means 'Ferengi
animal,' but translating it as `Ferengi dog' carries more of the flavor of
the insult."
vIno'va' qurgh finova beans. "If not cleaned properly, the finova bean
can be deadly. Commander Klevis was forced to kill his cook after a
badly-prepared batch of finova killed both his gunner and first
officer." You can add -mey to make it clear that you're talking about more
than one bean.
vItHay' truthtest ["truth duel," a ritual challenge analogous to trial by
combat. vItHay' is issued by the accused against his accuser. It proves who
is guilty, or who is not. It is a fight to the death. Klingons believe that
in mortal combat the honorable fighter, and the fighter on the side of
truth in a situation, is always victorious. The truth will always have more
inner strength than a lie. The ritual chamber for a vItHay' has a fire in
the center. The combatants are dressed in ritual fighting robes. Those who
watch form a circle and the two fight within the circle of warriors. The
one making the charge has the first choice of weapons: betleH, knife, or
bare hands.
wIy yIcha' [untranslated]
yIntagh a Klingon curse. "This is one of a number of Klingon curses that
doesn't have an adequate translation."
yItamchoH "Shut up!" (lit. "Become quiet!") When Gowron is talking with
the Pakled commander, he says this to T'Var (pronounced badly &
untranslated in the game).
'Iw 'Ip ghomey "Blood Oath Circles" (title of a well-known sculpture by
the artist mIStaq. Apparently made of metal, the sculpture is a collection
of hoops of different sizes representing all the blood oaths, complete and
unfinished, as well as the circles of vengeance. It was in Torghn's house
along with other pieces of sculpture.)
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
{paq torghen puqloD} Pok, son of Torghn
Gowron had his Bird of Prey's disruptors locked on the bartender's ship and
shouted: {baH}! (via SuStel)
"Act and you shall have dinner. Think and you shall be dinner." (proverb)
Klingon not provided on CD.
"The heart of the targ beast, although targ are bred for food throughout
the Empire, the heart of the bred targ is considered weakened by
domestication. Only the heart of a wild, hunted targ is considered worthy
of eating. It is a rare delicacy."
"You outsiders see only our fierceness, our love of battle. You do not see
the {tIgh}, the honor, that shapes our every act." [Gowron, KCD novel p.10]
{charghbej vIt} "The truth shall conquer" -- "In this Klingon proverb, the
suffix {-bej}, following the verb {chargh} 'conquer', means 'certainly' or
'undoubtedly'. Thus, `there's no doubt that the truth shall conquer.' The
word for truth is {vIt}, and it's also found in the word {vItHay'}, the
'truth test'." (KCD Language Lab)
"challenge of station" - this is how one attains rank and position on a
Klingon vessel: you come up to one doing the job you want and say formally,
"I will take this station now." "Who are you that would take this station
from me?" "Who are you that you would stop me?" Then the two of you growl
at each other and fight (trying to throw your opponent to the floor) until
one accedes and leaves the station. If you succeed, the job is yours...
until someone else challenges you for it.
After the {HoHwI'} probe kills Torghn, young Pok and company perform the
{Heghtay}. Qua'lon then says, "May you find honor with the Black Fleet,
brother."
Acta crystals [rare crystals that are "as useful as latinum." They are used
as currency within the Empire and elsewhere (Quark accepts them). Gowron
gave a large one to Pok as a {cha'nob} gift.
>There are things like "the Chalice of Kahless" (but no
>tlhIngan Hol for that, Do'Ha').
What is this exactly? Is there any explanation in the game?
> The person who does the computer voice
>seems to do a pretty good job with pronunciation of tlhIngan mu'mey (like
>"nuH bey'"), and there is information (like one of the knives in the nuH
>bey' used for "gutting") that I don't recall reading anywhere.
That would be the {ghab'etlh} I believe: "A gutting device, used in
balance with a shield when practicing the Klingon warrior fighting style of
{qIjatlh} (?). One of three weapons traditionally displayed on the {nuH
bey'}." In the House of SepIch Rite of Ascension chamber, it's about the
size of an iron, but it has a curved-inward blade. (KCD, via qoror) The
Andorians use a similar weapon called an *ushaan-tor* (originally an
ice-miner's tool with a curved-outward serrated blade) in the *Ushaan*, a
traditional Andorian duel-to-the-death [ENT "United"; term coined in _The
Andorians: Among the Clans_ by S. John Ross, Steven S. Long and Adam
Dickstein (Last Unicorn Games, 1999)].
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
