[tlhIngan Hol] My list of 19 new words revisited

[SuStel]

On 7/27/2017 12:02 AM, Jesse Manoogian wrote:
>
> be blonde: SuD (be yellow) works fine

I would accept a phrase like *jIb SuD, *but not *Human SuD.* In English 
a person can be blond, but Klingon *SuD* isn't specifically for 
describing hair color, so *Human SuD* would be like saying /yellow 
human/ in English.

By the way, *SuD* means /be blue, green, yellow,/ not just /be yellow. 
/By describing hair as *SuD,* you're also describing people who dye 
their hair those colors (or maybe aliens with green or blue hair). This 
is fine, but if you ever want to make a distinction between the yellow 
sort of *SuD* and the blue or green sorts of *SuD,* you'll want to say 
*SuD 'ej wov*/*SuD* and light, yellow./ *SuD jIb 'ej wov*/the hair is 
yellow;/*SuDbogh jIb 'ej wovbogh / SuDbogh 'ej wovbogh jIb*/hair which 
is yellow./


> be straight (of hair): beQ (be flat)

We have the word *wan* which means /be straight./ I don't see why this 
can't be applied to hair.


> be curly: gho rur (resemble a circle)

If someone said *gho rur jIbDaj*/his hair resembles a circle,/ I 
wouldn't understand. I don't have a good alternative, though.


> be wavy: yu'eghmey rur (resemble waves)
> be bald: jIb ghajbe' (to not have hair)
> be hazel: SuD 'ej wovbe' (be yellow/green and non-bright -- I thought 
> "SuD 'ej Doq 'ej wovbe'" was too unwieldy)

I would consider *SuD 'ej wovbe'* to be blue. Hazel, the color, is light 
golden brown. /Brown/ is *Doq 'ej wovbe'* (so how to say /light brown/ 
is unclear to me... maybe *Doq 'ej loQ wovbe'*?).//The color /gold/ is a 
sort of yellow-orange, which would be somewhere between *Doq* and *SuD 
'ej wov.* Hazel eyes shift between brown and light gold, sometimes with 
blue in them. There's no way you're going to get Klingon colors to 
describe them simply. Even in English, /hazel/ is just a way of saying, 
"it depends."


> freckles: DIrvemmey (skin-mark-PL)

You should put spaces between nouns.

*vem* seems to me to be tracks or marks left behind by something making 
them, not naturally occurring features. I don't have an alternative.


> wrinkle: bentlhegh (age-line)

This is an interesting construction, but I don't know if *ben* can refer 
to /age/ like that.


> glasses: mIn'al'onmey (eye-glass-PL)

I would figure that out, but I highly doubt that would be the real term. 
Maybe *mIn laH tI'wI'* or something similar.


> braces: Ho'baS (tooth-metal -- it's singular -- as I understand, they 
> say the singular "brace" in British English, so this has precedent)

I would understand this, but as with glasses I don't know if this would 
be the way to say it. I would imagine *Ho' wanmoHwI' *or *Ho' wanmoHmeH 
baS* or something like that.

In Klingon, in most cases, all nouns are inherently both singular and 
plural. That is, if I say the word *Ho'* it means both /tooth/ and 
/teeth./ Context or grammar may make it explicit, but you can't just 
take the word *Ho'* and force people to interpret it as singular.


> tattoo: DIrmIllogh (skin-picture)
> jeans: yopwaH ghegh (rough pants) -- and I also notice "yopwaH buq" 
> for "pants pouch; trouser pocket" -- how about buq yopwaH for cargo pants?

I have no problem with these as descriptions of these things, though I 
wouldn't expect them to be THE terms for them.


> polo shirt: wep yor poSmoH ([sleeved] shirt with open top)

This says /jacket it causes the top to open./ Notice that *wep* is a 
regional-only term for /sleeved shirt;/ outside of whichever region on 
Kronos it means that people will assume you're talking about a jacket. 
There is no standard term for /shirt, /but there is a description of a 
t-shirt, which is *yIvbeH SeQHa'*/informal tunic./ Now, a polo shirt 
isn't as informal as a t-shirt, but it's not exactly a tunic either. Its 
defining characteristics are that it is short-sleeved, heavier than a 
t-shirt, and has a collar. Given all that, I might compromise with 
*mongDech ghajbogh yIvbeH SeQHa'.* Not perfect, but that's what you get 
trying to translate between cultures.


> tank top: be'nalmoqwI' (a calque of the English wifebeater)

NONONONONO! Ugh! The term is bad enough in English without porting it to 
Klingon.

Just say *tlhay ghajbe'bogh yIvbeH*/tunic without sleeves./


> headphones: nachQoywI' (head-hearer . . . a calque from the German 
> Kopfhörer)

Another one I would figure out which I wouldn't use. I'd say *qoghDaq 
QoymeH jan*//*tu**Qbogh*/hearing device which one wears on/in the ears./


> skateboard: rutlh'echlet (wheel-board)

I'd get it.


> guitar: javHurDagh (six + stringed instrument)

I wouldn't get it. If you don't want to approximate by just saying 
*HurDagh,* be explicit and say *jav SIrgh ghajbogh HurDagh.* Or use a 
foreign term and say /guitar./


> bass: javHurDagh jaQ (deep guitar)

I don't think *jaQ* means that kind of /deep./


> be teenage, be adolescent: nenchoH (become adult)

Your translation of *nenchoH *as /become adult/ is correct, but /become 
adult/ doesn't mean /be teenage; be adolescent./ *nenbe'* /not mature;/ 
*nenHa'*/immature;/*wej nen*/not yet mature./ I don't have any simple 
translation for /teenage/ that isn't literally just /more than twelve, 
less than twenty./


> teen, adolescent, youth, young adult: nuv nenchoH (person becoming adult)


*nuv nenchoH* is a nonsensical phrase saying /he/she/it becomes mature, 
person./ If you want to say /the //person is becoming an adult,/ say 
*nenchoH nuv.* If you want /the person who is becoming an adult, /say 
*nenchoHbogh nuv.*

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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