[90333] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: beH
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (lojmIt tI'wI'nuv)
Mon Oct 31 10:14:51 2011
From: lojmIt tI'wI'nuv <lojmitti7wi7nuv@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:14:31 -0400
In-Reply-To: <CAFK8js0FfvyXDLn4G2cmSoED9=h4COSTfaGSv---vubgZcM9_A@mail.gmail.com>
To: tlhIngan Hol mailing list <tlhingan-hol@kli.org>
Errors-To: tlhingan-hol-bounces@stodi.digitalkingdom.org
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Just to educate those who may not have gotten the finer points this =
distinction ghunchu'wI' is making, muskets are smooth-bore weapons. =
Rifles have spiraling grooves inside the tube to make the bullet spin. =
"Flint-lock" is the term describing how the gunpowder was ignited, both =
for the muskets (smooth bore) commonly used by 18th century and earlier =
military, and the contemporary Kentucky long rifle. Many early =
flint-locks were later converted to percussion cap ignition in the =
1800s, but are otherwise the same muskets or rifles that they were when =
they had flint-locks.
The easiest way to tell the difference between muskets and rifles is by =
looking at the outside of the barrel. If it's a smooth, rounded tube, =
it's a musket. If it has flat surfaces (commonly hexagonal or octagonal =
in cross section), then it's a rifle. The rifles had thicker metal in =
the barrel walls to take higher pressures to build higher velocity =
before releasing the bullet, and the flat surfaces on the outside of the =
barrel gave the tools used to dig out the rifling grooves something to =
hold the barrel by while twisting the groove-cutting tool inside the =
barrel.
The muskets were basically shotguns that could either be loaded with =
shot or with balls that act as modern "slugs" used as a =
single-projectile in modern shotguns. Part of the reputation that =
Americans got as sharpshooters during the Revolutionary War was because =
the British were using military-grade (cheap) muskets while the =
Americans were using hunting rifles because that's what they had. The =
British lined up in lines and fired at each other because the guns were =
so inaccurate, aiming at an individual was a silly idea. Aim at a line =
of people, and you are bound to hit SOMEBODY. War is a randomly =
distributed hell and when you stand in line, you may or may not get hit, =
regardless of whether anyone is actually aiming at you. The Americans =
didn't need to stand behind rocks and trees. They could just fire on the =
British while they were standing out of musket range, much the way that =
a modern F-15 blows away inferior jets without ever getting in range of =
the enemy's weapons. We never have played fair.
So, you can refer to a gun either by a term that describes the firing =
mechanism (flint-lock, percussion cap -- more modern weapons that use =
firing pins that strike percussion caps built into the cartridge don't =
really have a term describing this), or you can describe it by the =
barrel (musket/smooth-bore, rifle), or by the mechanism that brings =
fresh ammunition to the firing chamber (revolver, automatic --which =
breaks down to semi-automatic or fully automatic depending on how many =
bullets can be fired with a single trigger press), or by the ammunition =
that it uses (shotgun, .45, 9mm, .22, 38 special, .380, paper cartridge, =
black powder, etc.), or you can describe it by whether it's a one-hand =
or two-handed weapon (hand-gun/pistol, rifle/shotgun). Note that nearly =
all handguns are technically "rifles", though that term is reserved for =
the shoulder-held weapon, and nobody fires shot-gun ammo in a hand gun =
anymore. That's way too much kick with way too little surface =
distribution on the hand of the person firing the weapon.
Among semi-automatics and revolvers, there are single action (you have =
to cock the hammer or pull the slide before firing each shot), =
double-action-only (you have to pull the trigger farther than on a =
single-action weapon, but 3/4 of the trigger pull cocks the hammer for =
you, while the last quarter releases the hammer), and single/double =
action (a long pull will fire when the hammer is not cocked, but you can =
cock the hammer to get the "hair trigger" that makes a more accurate =
shot, since you don't tend to move the weapon to pull the trigger that =
small bit). Semi-automatic single/double action pistols require either =
cocking the hammer or double-action first shot, but part of firing the =
weapon cocks the hammer for the next shot. So, you might have a long, =
stiff first pull and short, light pulls for the rest of the magazine. =
Many modern semi-automatics are double-action-only because if part of =
the design is to be concealable, you don't want a hammer on the back of =
the pistol that might snag clothing as you try to pull out the pistol, =
and while double-action can interfere with accuracy, the newest pistols =
have a very light, if long, pull on the double action. The idea is that =
in order to be more predictable, it's better to have them all be the =
same, and for a weapon that needs to be pulled out of concealment, a =
long pull on the trigger is a good thing, so you don't accidentally =
shoot yourself while removing the weapon from its hiding place. Some =
accidents have happened because on single/double action guns, the first =
pull is long and stiff, but the second pull is a hair trigger.
I prefer single-double action semi-automatic .45 pistol, myself, though =
a double-action-only, highly concealable .20 caliber pistol has it's =
place in the world.
And except for the distinction between a one-handed weapon and a =
two-handed weapon, none of this has anything to do with the energy =
weapons used in the Star Trek fictional world. It's pretty clear that =
the fictional weapons also, to some degree, aim themselves, since they =
lack sites and require far less use of the eye along the weapon to hit =
things than any projectile weapon does. That's apparently part of the =
technology that isn't explained and for us 21st century guys, falls =
within the realm of "magic". We don't have a clue how it works.
pItlh
lojmIt tI'wI'nuv
On Oct 30, 2011, at 7:49 PM, ghunchu'wI' 'utlh wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Josh Badgley =
<joshbadgley@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Out of curiosity, I noticed that we find the word beH in such =
compound
>> nounds as nISwI' beH and pu' beH. Does this mean that "beH" by =
itself means
>> "rifle" in the sense of "flintlock"? Like the kind the Klingons were =
arming
>> the Neuralese with?
>=20
> If the word "rifle" is intended to have its original definition, the
> first flintlocks seen in the episode were not rifles. The "upgrades"
> delivered by the Klingon (identified in the credits as "Krell") were.
>=20
> However, I doubt that the word {beH} is strictly limited to firearms
> with a long barrel having helical grooves intended to cause a bullet
> to spin as it is fired. That wouldn't be at all appropriate for a
> {nISwI' beH}. I'm going to go along with Felix's suggestion of the
> distinction being a shoulder-braced weapon as opposed to a handheld
> one.
>=20
> -- ghunchu'wI'
>=20
> _______________________________________________
> Tlhingan-hol mailing list
> Tlhingan-hol@stodi.digitalkingdom.org
> http://stodi.digitalkingdom.org/mailman/listinfo/tlhingan-hol
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<html><head></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; =
"><div>Just to educate those who may not have gotten the finer points =
this distinction ghunchu'wI' is making, muskets are smooth-bore weapons. =
Rifles have spiraling grooves inside the tube to make the bullet spin. =
"Flint-lock" is the term describing how the gunpowder was ignited, both =
for the muskets (smooth bore) commonly used by 18th century and earlier =
military, and the contemporary Kentucky long rifle. Many early =
flint-locks were later converted to percussion cap ignition in the =
1800s, but are otherwise the same muskets or rifles that they were when =
they had flint-locks.</div><div><br></div><div>The easiest way to tell =
the difference between muskets and rifles is by looking at the outside =
of the barrel. If it's a smooth, rounded tube, it's a musket. If it has =
flat surfaces (commonly hexagonal or octagonal in cross section), then =
it's a rifle. The rifles had thicker metal in the barrel walls to take =
higher pressures to build higher velocity before releasing the bullet, =
and the flat surfaces on the outside of the barrel gave the tools used =
to dig out the rifling grooves something to hold the barrel by while =
twisting the groove-cutting tool inside the =
barrel.</div><div><br></div><div>The muskets were basically shotguns =
that could either be loaded with shot or with balls that act as modern =
"slugs" used as a single-projectile in modern shotguns. Part of the =
reputation that Americans got as sharpshooters during the Revolutionary =
War was because the British were using military-grade (cheap) muskets =
while the Americans were using hunting rifles because that's what they =
had. The British lined up in lines and fired at each other because the =
guns were so inaccurate, aiming at an individual was a silly idea. Aim =
at a line of people, and you are bound to hit SOMEBODY. War is a =
randomly distributed hell and when you stand in line, you may or may not =
get hit, regardless of whether anyone is actually aiming at you. The =
Americans didn't need to stand behind rocks and trees. They could just =
fire on the British while they were standing out of musket range, much =
the way that a modern F-15 blows away inferior jets without ever getting =
in range of the enemy's weapons. We never have played =
fair.</div><div><br></div><div>So, you can refer to a gun either by a =
term that describes the firing mechanism (flint-lock, percussion cap -- =
more modern weapons that use firing pins that strike percussion caps =
built into the cartridge don't really have a term describing this), or =
you can describe it by the barrel (musket/smooth-bore, rifle), or by the =
mechanism that brings fresh ammunition to the firing chamber (revolver, =
automatic --which breaks down to semi-automatic or fully automatic =
depending on how many bullets can be fired with a single trigger press), =
or by the ammunition that it uses (shotgun, .45, 9mm, .22, 38 special, =
.380, paper cartridge, black powder, etc.), or you can describe it by =
whether it's a one-hand or two-handed weapon (hand-gun/pistol, =
rifle/shotgun). Note that nearly all handguns are technically "rifles", =
though that term is reserved for the shoulder-held weapon, and nobody =
fires shot-gun ammo in a hand gun anymore. That's way too much kick with =
way too little surface distribution on the hand of the person firing the =
weapon.</div><div><br></div><div>Among semi-automatics and revolvers, =
there are single action (you have to cock the hammer or pull the slide =
before firing each shot), double-action-only (you have to pull the =
trigger farther than on a single-action weapon, but 3/4 of the trigger =
pull cocks the hammer for you, while the last quarter releases the =
hammer), and single/double action (a long pull will fire when the hammer =
is not cocked, but you can cock the hammer to get the "hair trigger" =
that makes a more accurate shot, since you don't tend to move the weapon =
to pull the trigger that small bit). Semi-automatic single/double action =
pistols require either cocking the hammer or double-action first shot, =
but part of firing the weapon cocks the hammer for the next shot. So, =
you might have a long, stiff first pull and short, light pulls for the =
rest of the magazine. Many modern semi-automatics are double-action-only =
because if part of the design is to be concealable, you don't want a =
hammer on the back of the pistol that might snag clothing as you try to =
pull out the pistol, and while double-action can interfere with =
accuracy, the newest pistols have a very light, if long, pull on the =
double action. The idea is that in order to be more predictable, it's =
better to have them all be the same, and for a weapon that needs to be =
pulled out of concealment, a long pull on the trigger is a good thing, =
so you don't accidentally shoot yourself while removing the weapon from =
its hiding place. Some accidents have happened because on single/double =
action guns, the first pull is long and stiff, but the second pull is a =
hair trigger.</div><div><br></div><div>I prefer single-double action =
semi-automatic .45 pistol, myself, though a double-action-only, highly =
concealable .20 caliber pistol has it's place in the =
world.</div><div><br></div><div>And except for the distinction between a =
one-handed weapon and a two-handed weapon, none of this has anything to =
do with the energy weapons used in the Star Trek fictional world. It's =
pretty clear that the fictional weapons also, to some degree, aim =
themselves, since they lack sites and require far less use of the eye =
along the weapon to hit things than any projectile weapon does. That's =
apparently part of the technology that isn't explained and for us 21st =
century guys, falls within the realm of "magic". We don't have a clue =
how it works.</div><div><br></div><div>
<span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; =
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; =
line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: =
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: =
0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: =
auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; =
"><div>pItlh</div><div>lojmIt tI'wI'nuv</div><div><br></div></span><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline">
</div>
<br><div><div>On Oct 30, 2011, at 7:49 PM, ghunchu'wI' 'utlh =
wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div>On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Josh Badgley <<a =
href=3D"mailto:joshbadgley@hotmail.com">joshbadgley@hotmail.com</a>> =
wrote:<br><blockquote type=3D"cite">Out of curiosity, I noticed that we =
find the word beH in such compound<br></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">nounds as nISwI' beH and pu' beH. Does this mean =
that "beH" by itself means<br></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">"rifle" in the sense of "flintlock"? Like the kind =
the Klingons were arming<br></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite">the =
Neuralese with?<br></blockquote><br>If the word "rifle" is intended to =
have its original definition, the<br>first flintlocks seen in the =
episode were not rifles. The "upgrades"<br>delivered by the Klingon =
(identified in the credits as "Krell") were.<br><br>However, I doubt =
that the word {beH} is strictly limited to firearms<br>with a long =
barrel having helical grooves intended to cause a bullet<br>to spin as =
it is fired. That wouldn't be at all appropriate for a<br>{nISwI' beH}. =
I'm going to go along with Felix's suggestion of the<br>distinction =
being a shoulder-braced weapon as opposed to a =
handheld<br>one.<br><br>-- =
ghunchu'wI'<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Tlhi=
ngan-hol mailing list<br><a =
href=3D"mailto:Tlhingan-hol@stodi.digitalkingdom.org">Tlhingan-hol@stodi.d=
igitalkingdom.org</a><br>http://stodi.digitalkingdom.org/mailman/listinfo/=
tlhingan-hol<br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>=
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