[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Hut'Inmey tIq

[John R. Harness]

As I recently brought up in a Facebook discussion of words to ask from
Okrand, I'd like clarification on this and a few other textile-related
words. Although weaving and knitting are both techniques for creating
fabric, they use very different technologies, methods, and materials. If
Hut'Inmey tIq is indeed 'the sticks used when doing whatever this *weaving*
technique is,' then Hut'Inmey tIq are not "*knitting* needles," especially
given that there are indeed different sorts of sticks (shed sticks, heddle
sticks) used in weaving.

My interpretation is that this is probably a case of Okrand (and Maltz) not
knowing the real-world distinctions, and that's fine. As a textile maker
and enthusiast, I'm just asking for clarification! If it's a matter of
~Klingons use the same word for both things~, I can deal with that fiction.
In that case what I'm after is words for those mysterious "other types of
weaving," and to know what a Klingon might call some of the other tools of
textile-making! (And, again, exactly what kind of sticks are Hut'Inmey tIq!)

And, just thinking aloud: Is a meSwI' a crochet hook? A weaver? A sewing
needle? A professional hair braider? A loom? Knitting needles? *Sewing*
needles? Detangler spray? How metaphorically do Klingons use meS? (Does one
untie the knot of a complicated relationship?) Recently I learned that
"rhapsode," (the term for certain historical Greek storytellers) means
something like "song-stitcher," which I think is cool... so, <bommey
meSwI'pu'>? Love it. (Though maybe we also need a word for 'to stitch, to
sew'!)


--

Socialist Alternative <http://www.socialistalternative.org/>
Klingon Language Institute <http://www.kli.org/>

On Mon, Apr 9, 2018 at 10:45 AM, Steven Boozer <sboozer at uchicago.edu> wrote:

> Klingon word: Hut'Inmey tIq
> Part of speech: noun
> Definition: sticks used for weaving, "knitting needles"
> Source:
> _______________________________________________
>
> (Okrand to De'vID, 10/2014):   [Maltz] said he does not knit and, in fact,
> wasn't quite sure what knitting was.  I explained.  He said there is a word
> perhaps best translated as "weave" and that he has heard of using sticks
> when doing a certain kind of weaving, but he didn't know a name for that
> other than "weaving".  (There are apparently other types of weaving also.)
> The word for weave (verb) is {nIq}.  For the sticks used when doing
> whatever this weaving technique is, he's only heard {Hut'Inmey tIq}.
>
> (Lieven, 11/12/2014):  After giving us the word for knitting, Maltz just
> revealed another useful and related word: it's {meS} and means knot, both
> as noun and verb.  The object of the verb is the thing you use to make a
> knot, e.g. {tlhegh vImeS} - "I make a knot in the rope".  To loosen the
> knot, simply say {meSHa'}.
>
> SEE ALSO:
> Hut'In                  nail (n)
> Hut'In vIl      screw (n)
>
> --
> Voragh
> Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> tlhIngan-Hol mailing list
> tlhIngan-Hol at lists.kli.org
> http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.kli.org/pipermail/tlhingan-hol-kli.org/attachments/20180409/43990f0f/attachment-0017.htm>