[tlhIngan Hol] using {-Daq} metaphorically

[SuStel]

On 10/22/2017 10:45 AM, mayqel qunenoS wrote:
> We know we can say:
>
> {bIQ'a'Daq 'oHtaH 'etlh'e'}
> the sword is in the ocean
>
> There is no real ocean, but we use the {-Daq} on the {bIQ'a'} neverthless.
>
> Likewise, if we wrote:
>
> {'Internet DaqDaq De' law' tu'lu'}
> at the location of the internet, there's a lot of information
>
> Would the above be acceptable ?

*bIQ'a'Daq 'oHtaH 'etlh'e'* is not a metaphor; it is an idiom. A 
metaphor is an expression that describes one thing as a different thing; 
an idiom is an expression that means something other than what it 
literally says. When a Klingon says *bIQ'a'Daq 'oHtaH 'etlh'e',* he is 
not saying that anything is a sword or ocean; he is merely referencing a 
story about Kahless to mean /something has ended./

There is no reason why you can't use *-Daq* in a metaphor. The limits on 
*-Daq* are that it must describe a spatial relationship. If a metaphor 
includes a spatial relationship, then *-Daq* is appropriate. If you're 
/standing on the shoulders of giants,/ that's a metaphor that includes 
an actual spatial relationship, so go ahead and say *tInqu'wI' 
volchaHDaq QamtaH.*

So what about /on the Internet?/ This gets a little more complicated, 
because so much of our computer terminology is built out of metaphors 
that we get so used to they cease to be mere metaphors and become the 
normal jargon. We casually toss out metaphors like /window, file, trash, 
clipboard, paste, open, /and /desktop/ to the point that we don't even 
realize anymore that they are metaphors. We intuitively click on the 
image of a floppy disk to save a file even though we haven't used floppy 
disks to save files for years and years.

So when considering whether /on the Internet/ is a metaphor, keep in 
mind that computer jargon is built on metaphor, but may not be metaphor 
anymore. We think of the Internet as a "place" with "sites" and "pages" 
and "forums" that we "go to," so why couldn't something be "in" or "on" 
the Internet? It's in keeping with the metaphor. So go ahead and 
maintain that metaphor, with the understanding that we're biased by our 
jargon for these things. Since the Internet is a specifically Human 
invention, Klingons talking about it will probably just adopt our 
metaphor—unless they have or had something of their own that's 
comparable. But since their word for Internet is *'Internet,* I find 
that unlikely.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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