De'vID:
Why? What reason is there to believe that the "serpent" in the definition of {ghargh} means anything other than that a serpent would be referred to generically as a {ghargh} in Klingon?
Let me ask you. If I say {muSujpu' ghargh mIllogh}, what am I saying ? The picture of a serpent disturbed me, or the picture of a worm disturbed me ? Since {ghargh} can mean both, how could someone say that I don't need to specify further ? There is a line in matthew, where jesus says something like (I don't have the original text at hand now): "who of you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a serpent ?" Suppose I wrote: {‘ej ghotI’ HevmeH wa’ nuv puqloD, tlhobchugh puqvam, puqvamvaD ghargh nob vay’ ?} Can't the reader here assume that the {ghargh} could mean "worm" instead ? Now, don't tell me "it wouldn't make for a big difference in meaning", or "to a klingon it would be the same". Because it would make a *major* difference in meaning, and klingons as well as their understanding of things, can burn in hell for all I care. De'vID:
Does anyone else on the mailing list have any reservation about using {ghargh} to mean "serpent"?
You misunderstood me. I'm not saying {ghargh} can't be used to mean "serpent". I *am* saying though, that since it can mean worm too, one needs to specify what he's talking about. ~ ncnccn