On 5/24/2021 8:21 AM, mayqel qunen'oS wrote:
This is another subject in the category of "I don't understand because English isn't my native language". And the thing I don't understand, is if a native English speaker hearing "lightning" will understand/can understand (based on context), "lightning bolt" too.
In English, /lightning, lightning bolt, thunder,/ and /thunderbolt/ can all be used kinda-sorta interchangeably. We understand the difference between thunder (the sound) and lightning (the visible discharge), but people mix them up all the time. It's not unusual for someone to see a flash in the sky and declare, "I saw thunder," or to hear a rumble and say, "I hear lightning." They're not technically correct to do so, but it's very common. Someone being more careful would probably distinguish them like so: /Lightning:/ uncountable noun referring to atmospheric electrical discharge or sometimes just its visible component. /Lightning bolt:/ countable noun referring to a single electrical discharge. /Thunder:/ uncountable noun referring to the sound caused by atmospheric electrical discharge. /Thunderbolt:/ countable noun referring to the sound caused by a single electrical discharge. These are also not necessarily exclusively correct.
I want to say "One of the attributes of Zeus is the lightning bolt"; i.e. "the thing which looks like an arrow/spear made of lightning" which is held by Zeus. (Picture: https://stock.adobe.com/gr_en/search/images?k=zeus+lightning+hand <https://stock.adobe.com/gr_en/search/images?k=zeus+lightning+hand>)
Is it enough to write:
pe'bIl 'oH wa' zeus DI'on''e' one of the characteristics of zeus is the lightning
Or should I necessarily write:
pe'bIl tIH 'oH wa' zeus DI'on''e' one of the characteristics of zeus is the lightning ray/beam
Lightning doesn't come in rays. Unless Okrand has said otherwise, there is no such thing as a *pe'bIl tIH* outside of pulp films and novels. I dunno, maybe the word *tIH* is more flexible than that, but if it is, I'm not aware of any confirmation of this. Maybe Klingons talk about *pan*/emit sparks. /I dunno. Since the English word /lightning/ could refer to either the general phenomenon or a singular bolt, I don't think you'll be able to answer exactly what *pe'bIl *means. I'd just leave it as *pe'bIl 'oH wa' Zeus DI'on'e'.* -- SuStel http://trimboli.name