[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: parmaq

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Klingon word: 	parmaq
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	love, romance
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jevqu'taHvIS muD ral, bejlI' parmaq. 
That looks on tempests and is never shaken. 
["While the violent atmosphere storms, love still watches."] (Sonnet 116)

parmaq choH pagh teHqu', choH tu'DI' lajDaj. 
Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds 
["Very true[ly] nothing changes love when its acceptance finds change."] (Sonnet 116)

(st.klingon 12/12/1996):  We do know that there is a Klingon word for love, meaning something like what we mean by the word. It is {parmaq}. We heard this word for the first time in a recent episode of Deep Space Nine where Dax says that {parmaq} is "the Klingon word for 'love,' but with more aggressive overtones.' She accuses Worf of having a "bad case" of {parmaq}, which suggests it's a noun. (The episode is called "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"; there may be a good historical reason for the Federation choosing the spelling *par'Mach*, but, regardless, the pronunciation of the word is {parmaq}.) Unfortunately, so far, that's about all we know about the Klingon word for love. I'll have to do some additional research to find out how the word is used correctly in a sentence. Since it's Klingon love we're talking about here, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it doesn't work in at all the same way as the Federation Standard word love. I'll get back to you on this in the future... I realize this doesn't help much; it raises more questions than it answers. But when it comes to matters of the heart...

 (KGT 207):  there are some words that simply do not translate. One must resort to descriptions rather than simple one- or two-word translations, and one must be a quite facile in the language and knowledgeable of the culture to understand the concepts. ... So is {parmaq}, the Klingon term for an aggressive sort of romantic feeling.

(KGT 199):  ... {parmaq}, conventionally translated love or romance (though the Klingon concept is far more aggressive than the Federation Standard translations imply)

Cf. SkyBox card S38 ("Klingon Romance").

CULTURAL NOTES:
  "Klingons do not pursue 'relationships'; we conquer that which we desire." (Worf to Data, TNG "In Theory")

  "She must see the fire in your eyes. […] Words come later. It is the scent that first speaks of love." (Worf counseling Geordi, TNG "Transfigurations")

  Worf told Riker he does without sex as he would need a Klingon woman "for what you call love" because "human females are too fragile." (TNG "Justice")

  “This is ridiculous! I’m surrounded by corpses, my shoes are dripping in blood—and you want me to feel romantic?” (Quark to Grilka, DS9 "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places")

  Torres fretted that she and Tom Paris were a *mok'tah*, a phrase B'Ellana's grandmother used to use referring to a bad (romantic) match. (VOY "Drive")

SEE:
parmaqqay  	romantic companion/partner (n) 

SEE ALSO:
bang		love, one who is loved, beloved one (n)
nong 		be passionate (v)
ghal  		be jealous (of), envy (v)

nga'chuq 	sex (i.e. perform sex) (v)
ngagh 		mate with (v)
lInchuq 		share each other (v. idiom) (qepHom 2016)
  - (Lieven, 11/07/2016):  There is an idiomatic expression: {lInchuq} "share each other". This is not a euphemism, but Maltz admitted it's a little risqué.  {lInchuq} ("they share each other") means that they (whoever is being talked about) have a physical relationship of some sort. The phrase is general — it doesn't imply anything about exactly what they do physically. It also doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing something right now (at the time of speaking). The relationship could be relatively light (a little nibbling) or heavier (really biting) or beyond (Maltz thought that Terrans might find that part a bit risqué). As with other verbs with {-chuq}, the prefix has to indicate a plural subject and no object:  {malInchuq}, {SulInchuq". 

  “For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.” (Song of Songs 8:6)

--
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.