[tlhIngan Hol] can we apply {ngagh} to humans ?

[SuStel]

On 12/18/2019 10:27 AM, nIqolay Q wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 10:06 AM mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun at gmail.com 
> <mailto:mihkoun at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     ok, I see..
>
>     But {ngagh} aside..
>
>     In english, do you use the verb "to mate" for humans ?
>
>     Or is it primarily used for animals ?
>
>
> I'd say "to mate" is mostly used for animals. You can use it in 
> reference to people, but to me, it sounds either detached and clinical 
> (as if you were referring to people as some sort of livestock or 
> wildlife),

In English, intransitive /mate/ tends to be used only for wildlife, and 
it means to copulate. Transitive /mate/ can be used for livestock, 
meaning the person causes the animals to breed. It is rarely used to 
refer to people.


> In Klingon, from the example of {yIH ngaghwI'}, it seems that you can 
> use {ngagh} to refer to people, but it probably has more vulgar 
> overtones than {nga'chuq}. (For instance, you might use it in the 
> chorus of {Sumqu'} by {vI' jav jav 'uj 'abbogh Hut'Inmey'e'}: {qangagh 
> vIneH, Ha'DIbaH vIrur vIneH.})

I think *yIH ngaghwI'* is insulting because it brings the target of the 
insult down to the level of an animal. But whether that's because 
*ngagh* is for animals and *nga'chuq* is for people or just because 
you're talking about doing it with a *yIH,* I don't know.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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