[84755] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: Klingon WOTD: mIv (noun)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Boozer)
Fri May 30 11:28:06 2008
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 10:25:43 -0500
To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
From: Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu>
In-Reply-To: <E1K21Oy-0005bB-TR@server03.webpowerplus.org>
Errors-to: tlhingan-hol-bounce@kli.org
Reply-to: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Friday, May 30, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: mIv
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: metal flat-bottomed pot (regional)
>
>Additional Notes:
>KGT p. 27: In some regions, a {bargh} made of metal is a {mIv} (which also
>means "helmet," even though, historically speaking, helmets are not
>necessarily made of metal) or a {mIv bargh} ("helmet pot"), while a
>ceramic {bargh} is called a {chor} (literally "belly") or {chor bargh}
>("belly pot").
>
>Synonyms: mIv bargh
KGT 97: The general term for a pot is {'un}. Pots that may be put on top
of a fire in order to heat their contents are made of metal ({baS}); others
may be made of either metal or ceramic material ({nagh} [literally,
"stone"]). A {bargh} is probably the most frequently used pot. It is rather
large and has a flattened bottom."
Other types of pots include {nevDagh}, {vutmeH 'un} and {vut'un}.
>Homonyms:
> mIv (noun) - helmet
Used in canon:
Du'IHchoHmoH mIvvam
This helmet suits you. TKD
KGT 58: old armor included headgear of some kind apparently called a
{mIv}, which, in modern Klingon, means "helmet". The word also survives in
the word {mIv'a'} ("crown"; literally, "big helmet" or "great helmet"), a
ceremonial headpiece worn by some Klingon emperors.
KGT 107-8: Thus, the phrase {mIv je DaS} (literally, "helmet and boot") is
used to mean fully dressed, as for a ceremonial affair (as in {mIv je DaS
tuQ ra'wI'} ("The commander wears helmet and boot"-that is, "The commander
is in full dress uniform"). Normally, the conjunction {je} ("and") would be
expected to follow the second noun (here, {DaS} ["boot"]), but in this
phrase, it does not. The grammatically correct {mIv DaS je} also means
"helmet and boot", but it would not be used in the sense of full dress. The
sentence {mIv DaS je tuQ ra'wI'} would mean simply "The commander is
wearing a helmet and a boot" (or, since the plural need never be overtly
indicated, perhaps this would mean "The commander is wearing a helmet and
boots"). How the odd grammatical construction came to be is not known with
certainty, but it probably is based on an older form of the language. The
fact that the expression for "full dress" includes the word {mIv} "helmet"
also suggests that the phrase has been in use for a long time, since
helmets are no longer commonly part of Klingon attire. Finally, it is
important to note that the idiomatic expression is always {mIv je DaS}
("helmet and boot"), never {DaS je mIv} ("boot and helmet"). As is
frequently the case in idioms, the order of elements cannot be changed.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
