== DISCUSSION ONLY ==

> We can say DorDI' Hogh and we generally accept taghDI' Hogh,

> so I'm not devastated by this lack. (I wouldn't mind a verb for

> begin [a period of time does this].)

There is quite a lot of canon support for {tagh} having a dual syntax:

tagh [event]. = "[Event] begins."

[event] tagh [agent]. = "[Agent] starts [event]."

Examples:

taghbej mu'qaD veS.

"Curse warfare has definitely begun." (PK)

Qu' DataghDI' 'aqtu' mellota' je tIqaw.

"When you begin a mission, remember Aktuh and Melota." (TKW)

qeylIS qeylIS qeylIS
wanI’ vItaghbogh vIrInmoH
bIHeghqu’

(paq'batlh, paq'raD, Canto 15, Stanza 5)

QIStaq ‘emDaq jenchoH jul
yor DungDaq Salta’DI’
tagh HarghchuqmeH poH

(paq'batlh, paq'raD, Canto 22, Stanza 2 & 4)

DaH wanI' potlh taghlu'
    tIqDu'Daj DuQqu'meH qeylIS
    ma'veq cha' 'etlhmey jop

(paq'batlh, paq'QIH, Canto 3, Stanza 6)

There's also the very first stanza of the prologue, written in no' Hol:

tog’det q’uti ‘qoolit
    ‘usru Dya ‘qinmaa Dya q’op Dya at
    q’uty qoot’ag’

"It began with destruction of everything,
Energy, gods, matter,
Everything will eventually destroy itself."

(paq'batlh, lut cherlu', Canto 1, Stanza 1)

Reconstruction (speculative, by me):

taghDI' Hoch QIHlu'

HoS'e' Qunpu''e' Hap'e' je

QIH'egh Hoch

The word tog' is also repeated in an incomplete stanza:

Durmut

tog'
tyan [...]

"Out of the end

Came the beginning,

... creation."

(paq'batlh, lut cherlu', Canto 3, Stanza 1)

Reconstruction (speculative, by me):

Dormo'

tagh

chen [...]

So, assuming that tog' is an archaic form (or cognate) of tagh, it seems this meaning of the word goes back a long way!

It's worth noting that paq'batlh also uses bI'reS in a broader sense than referring just to opera or songs:

bI'reS qeylIS vaq molor

ghIq qeylIS juHHom ghoS qotar
‘ej qeylIS mong ‘uchchoH

"First, Molor taunts Kahless"

[...]

(paq'batlh, paq'raD, Canto 14, Stanza 6)

may’ bI’reS bejtaHvIS mon
ghIq pum QaSDaj law’ ‘e’ legh
ghIq qempa’QeH legh

[I don't have the translation handy, but something like "He smiled as he watched the battle begin".]

(paq'batlh, paq'raD, Canto 18, Stanza 3)

So, there is some cause to believe that bI'reS is more general than we've previously thought. However, seeing as this is still in the context of opera, I'm taking it with a pinch of salt.

In my own, highly dubious, head canon, I like to imagine that bI'reS is a somewhat archaic word which used to refer to a beginning of any sort, but which in 24th century Klingon is only heard in certain contexts, such as opera. That would make the word less useful, but I think it adds flavor to the language.

From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces@lists.kli.org> on behalf of SuStel <sustel@trimboli.name>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2017 12:54
To: tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org
Subject: Re: [tlhIngan Hol] mu' chu' chabal tetlh!

On 3/25/2017 3:58 AM, Lieven wrote:

== WORD WISH ==

beginning (n)
end (n)

as in "end of the week", "end of the world", "the end of a nice evening", "the end of an event"...

The definitions for {bI'reS} and {bertlham} include a note that they are only used in songs and operas etc.

I feel wrong when talking about the weekend as {Hogh bertlham}.

We can say DorDI' Hogh and we generally accept taghDI' Hogh, so I'm not devastated by this lack. (I wouldn't mind a verb for begin [a period of time does this].)

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name