[tlhIngan Hol] 'elI'jaH

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Tue Mar 10 11:34:37 PDT 2020


Here's what I have in my notes (some of it from you):

(Qov 8/02/2007):  paqDaq latlh mu' ghaj Okrand 'e' vIlegh.  <'el'I'jaH> 'oHlaw'.  'ej "uninvited guest" 'oS.  mu'vetlh maqbejbe'mo' chaq mu'na' bIHbe'.

('ISqu' 8/11/2007):  The word Okrand wrote in my notebook during last year's qep'a' [i.e. 2006] was spelled {'elI'jaH}.  The English translation, written by Lawrence below the Klingon word, was "unexpected visitor". 

'ISqu had a screenshot of her notebook at http://muchmich.yolasite.com/hasta.php   [I don't know if it's still online; my university's IT Security people have blocked "as a security precaution" when I checked it just now.  Proceed at your own risk.] 
 
PUN:  In Jewish tradition there should always be an empty place setting at the Shabbat and Passover Seder table just in case Elijah turns up.  If a guest comes unexpectedly, he would sit there -- he may well be Elijah in disguise.

(MO to Lieven, 11/23?/2008):  {nIyma'} is the Klingon word for phantom or apparition -- something that seems to appear, but isn't really there.  It's not the same as ghost, which is the spirit of a dead person (and may or may not look like that person, or may not be visible at all), and it's not the same as spirit (or {qa'}), which is sort of a life force within a person (that escapes when a person dies and may exist somewhere somehow).  He said using {qa'} for ghost was OK, but I got the impression there may be another word as well (though he didn't offer one).  He said that although the word doesn't really mean "invited guest that doesn't show up", it made a lot of sense to him to use {nIyma'} to refer to such a person.

PUN:  
(Lieven, 9/29/2016):  Nima is the name of a [7th (November 2008)] qepHom attendee [at the 7th German qepHom'a' (November 2008)] who was most of the time absent.  Students were joking whether *nima* may be Klingon for the opposite of "uninvited guest" {'elIjaH}, so a guest who does not show up.  By the way, Maltz was surprised that we knew that word.

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

----------------------------------------Original Message----------------------------------------
From: Lieven L. Litaer

I'd like to do some nitpicking, and I'm saying this, because I know there is not much difference.
I'm working on the entry for {'elI'jaH}.

In a message from Qov after the qep'a' 2007, she wrote:  "uninvited guest"

The KLI's new word list says "unexpected guest" (with the wrong qep'a' number, btw)

In boQwI', this is defined as "unexpected visitor".

Hol 'ampaS is showing both:  "Unexpected visitor, uninvited guest"

......

I know there is not much (or none) difference, but is there somehow an initial definition, one that we could agree on? I always try to keep things as accurate as possible.



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