[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: porgh

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Tue Dec 7 07:16:33 PST 2021


Klingon word: 	porgh
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	body
_______________________________________________

pImlaw' romuluSngan be' porgh 
I've heard Romulan women are different. (ST5 notes)

wa' Dol bIH qa''e' porgh'e' je 
Spirit and body are one (PB) 
  - De’vID, 11/22/2021):  Marc Okrand wasn't very happy with this, and in the 2nd edition this line will be changed to: {muvchuqtaH qa' porgh je} 

mutlhej porgh 'ay'meywIj neH; ngob'atDu'wIj, 'uS nev'obDu'wIj, qey'HavwIj. 
I am alone with my breasts my thighs my lap. (Lieven, Hamletmachine [2020])

(qepHom 2019 booklet p.11):  {qal'aq} is fine for skeleton if modified ({Hom qal'aq} or {porgh qal'aq}), but a more specific term is heard {nobmeD}. 

CULTURAL NOTES:
“Do not be fooled by her looks. The body is just a shell.” (Worf, TNG “The Dauphin”)

After the spirit has departed the body, Klingon warriors consider the corpse to be only an "empty shell", to be disposed of accordingly (cf. TNG "Heart of Glory"). 
 
(TKW 145):  Thus, perhaps the Klingons are saying that when a warrior dies, his spirit appears, whereas prior to death it was hidden or disguised by the body. Another interpretation is that the spirit was held prisoner by the body. Worf told Jeremy, whose mother had been killed, "In my tradition, we do not grieve the loss of the body. We celebrate the releasing of the spirit."  (cf. TNG "The Bonding")

(KGT 95):  {'Iw HIq} (bloodwine) is served warm to hot (best is {porgh Hat} - body temperature, though it is not clear whose body) 

When Captain K'Vada showed Picard to his quarters aboard his Bird-of-Prey, he slapped the hard bed - more like a sleeping shelf - and sneered, "You will sleep Klingon-style. We do not cushion our bodies by putting down a pad."  (TNG "Unification I")

SEE:
porgh Dotlh  	health (n)  
porgh Hat  	body temperature (n)
porgh mIw  	bodily function (n)
porghQeD  	the scientific study of bodily functions (n)

SEE ALSO:
ro 		torso (n)
lom 		corpse (n)

--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
    Please contribute relevant vocabulary or notes from the last 
    year or two. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my files.




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