[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Qur

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Tue Aug 27 08:25:56 PDT 2019


A bit more for those interested ...

(KGT 165):  The word {tlham}, literally meaning "gravity", is used to mean order or structure in the sense of an ordered or well-structured society. In the same way that gravity holds one to a planet (or, in the case of artificial gravity, to the floor of a space vessel), the structure of a society holds its members in, preventing them from going off in all directions. In other words, it ensures that a society function properly by keeping it from coming apart. The word is used in phrases such as {tlham ghaj} ("have gravity"--that is, have structure, order) or {tlham Hutlh} ("lack gravity" or lack structure, order). A very well ordered society may be said to have {tlham'a'} (big gravity) or {tlham HoS} (strong gravity), while a society that is judged to be falling apart may have {tlhamHom} (little gravity) or {tlham puj" (weak gravity).

(KGT 38):  The Klingon military, of course, has a hierarchical structure of its own, with ranks and areas of authority spelled out explicitly. Various fleets and squadrons are loyal to various houses, though, as might be expected, the details of these alliances are subject to change.

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Boozer

Klingon word: Qur
Part of speech: noun
Definition: structure, organization, anatomy
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(MO to Lieven, 10/25/2011):  I asked him about Morskan {qurbuSwI'} [architect]. He said he wasn't really all that familiar with Morskan, but then he thought about it a little more and said he did know a word {Qur} that might be related, though it was difficult to translate. The best he could come up with was "structure" or "organization". He was quick to point out that this did not mean structure like a building is a structure, nor did it mean organization like an organization of people or even an organization of states. It means the way things fit together or the arrangement of the parts of something bigger. He said it could be used for anatomy when talking about animals. Though he looked a little pained when I suggested it, he agreed that one could say that Scotty understood the {Qur} of the Enterprise.

(KGT 110-11):  [{qutluch patlh}] means hierarchical structure. The *kut'luch* is a knife associated with Klingon assassins, so the imagery is one of a list, presumably in a specific order, of intended victims of the *kut'luch*. To determine one's place in Klingon society or to understand who has authority over whom, one must be aware of the {qutluch patlh} of the military, the government, the house with which one is associated, and so on.

SEE ALSO:
tlham 		order, (societal) structure (slang) (n)
patlh 		rank, level, layer, standing (n)
pat 		system, grid (n)
qach  		structure, building (n)

"In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." (Laurence J. Peter, _The Peter Principle_ [1968])

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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