Canon has a lot of sloppy Klingon in it. I think you’ve found more. There are a lot of ways this could have been said more correctly.

Given context, I’d have gone for {quv DarIch ‘e’ bIqotlhbe’.} Or maybe {quv DayajlaHbe’ba’,} or even {quv DarIchDI’ bIQaq.}

But, there’s always the “context” card to play. As it is given here, I’m tempted to interpret it as “Don’t say the word ‘honor’ to me,” even bending the expected word order rules, using the [no object] yI- prefix and somehow putting a direct quotation inside the sentence-of-speech, instead of before it or after it. You can fill in the rest from context, assuming that this is extemporaneous speech, and while talking, speakers often don’t think through the meaning they intend and search for the most correct, precise, concise words to express their meaning.

Then again, if *paq’raD* is supposed to be some kind of profound text from which one derives Truth, it sounds like the author(s) could have spent a little more time on his phrasing...

On Aug 30, 2025, at 7:20 AM, Luis via tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org> wrote:

In the *paq'raD* (19, 12) we can read:

*jIHvaD quv yIjatlhQo'* ("Don't speak to me of honor!")

Since *quv* is not a thing that can be spoken (like a language, a speech or a word), I would have expected *rIch* to be used instead. Also an interpretation as direct quotation ("Don't say to me 'honor'!") should read *quv jIHvaD yIjatlhQo'* or *jIHvaD yIjatlhQo' quv*, right? Am I missing something?

Thank you!
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