[tlhIngan Hol] mu' chu' chabal tetlh!

Jeremy Silver jp.silver at tiscali.co.uk
Sat Mar 25 06:38:35 PDT 2017


On Friday 24 Mar 2017 20:12:00 SuStel wrote:
> On 3/24/2017 6:13 PM, Felix Malmenbeck wrote:
> > == DISCUSSION ONLY: No new requests in this message. ==
> > 
> > 
> > Another thing that might be useful for discussing pumping is expressions
> > for describing repeated actions. Examples of useful distinctions might
> > include:
> > 
> > repeatedly
> > do and then undo
> 
> This is the sort of thing Klingon doesn't do generically, but it does
> well specifically. For instance, *bagh; ghIq baghHa'*/tie; then untie./
> 
> > (ir)regularly
> 
> I would expect *roD* /regularly /and **roDHa'* /irregularly /for this,
> though the latter is unattested.
> 
> > periodically
> 
> Either *roD* or *rut* will work for this, depending on which meaning of
> /periodically/ you mean.
> 
> > cyclically
> > ad infinitum
> > with (increasing/decreasing/oscillating/unchanged) amplitude
> > with (increasing/decreasing/oscillating/unchanged) frequency
> > 
> > For example, if we pretend that we have adverbs with these "definitions":
> > 
> > {[irregularly] joqtaH tIqwIj.}
> > ("My heart is beating irregularly.")
> 
> Right now we can say *roD joqtaHbe' tIqwIj,* though it would be nice if
> we knew we could say **roDHa' joqtaH tIqwIj.*
> 
Trouble is, I'm not convinced this is quite the right meaning.

As {roD} seems to cover primarily what the usual/habitual action of something 
is.

{roD joqtaHbe' tIqwIj} suggests I am an android or a member of the undead, or 
maybe J-l Picard depending on the nature of his replacement - it is not 
typical for the heart to beat as its usual action.

I think {roDHa'} is closer, but I don't believe it covers regularly spaced 
periodic/cyclic actions changing that regularity.

I think our point is things like {bagh; ghIq baghHa'} work once. One 
wavelength if you will. The {bagh; ghIq baghHa'} needs to be described as a 
cycle which repeats continuously, to describe the ongoing waveform.
It is the concept of *repeating* we're after. The regularity is to do with the 
fixed spacing of the repeats, not whether an action is habitual or not.

Now I'm thinking of it, using {joq} in the sense flapping/fluttering for a 
heartbeat is entirely the wrong imagery. A flag flapping due to the vagaries 
of the wind, is as random and irregular as you can get. A fluttering heartbeat 
is one you shouldn't have. A nice solid, regular, one is preferable.

But I'm guessing we're stuck with it now.




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