[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: mIllogh ngutlh

Steven Boozer sboozer at uchicago.edu
Fri Feb 10 09:19:23 PST 2023


Klingon word: 	mIllogh ngutlh
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	hieroglyph
Source: 	qep'a' 29
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(qep’a’ 2022):  A hieroglyph corresponds to a linguistic element (word, affix, sound, whatever) whereas a pictogram corresponds to a concept or idea. Hieroglyphics is a form of writing; pictograms are not writing. Since {ngutlh} refers specifically to symbols used to represent language, {mIllogh ngutlh} makes sense for hieroglyph. A hieroglyphic writing system is a form of logography, that is, a system in which, basically, a character represents a word. So {mIllogh ngutlh} could be used for the broader logograph as well as hieroglyph. In the Toki Pona book, there's a table of hieroglyphs. In the introduction to this table, it seems the terms hieroglyph and logogram could be used interchangeably, so {mIllogh ngutlh} remains a good choice. But a distinction is made between these hieroglyphs/logograms (*sitelen pona*) and another set called *sitelen sitelen* in which logograms appear combined into single symbols rather than being displayed one after the other. Since the logograms used in the *sitelen sitelen* system are logograms (though not the same as the logograms in the *sitelen pona* system), {mIllogh ngutlh} can be used for these components. All of this boils down to:  Sure, {mIllogh ngutlh} is fine for hieroglyph as used in the book. [i.e. Jack Bradley’s translation of _Toki Pona: the Language of Good_)

SEE:
jItuj'ep ngutlh  		mummification glyph (n) (qep’a’ 2017)
  - The resurrected Spock identified a "Klingon mummification glyph" during his re-education on Vulcan (ST5)

SEE ALSO:
mIllogh  		picture, image, depiction, drawing, etc. (n)
mIllogh qol   		animation,  cartoon (n)
mIllogh qonwI'  		camera (n)
mIllogh qonwI' qoSta'  	film (n)
majyang mIllogh  	mosaic (n)

ngutlh  			letter, written  character, glyph (n) 
ngutlh tu’qom 		font, typeface (n)
tlhavqop ngutlh 	punctuation mark(s)
ngutlh nagh  		die/dice with letters (n)

--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
    Please contribute relevant vocabulary from recent qep’a’mey 
    or qepHommey. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my files.




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