Klingon Word of the Day: rIl
Klingon Word of the Day for Thursday, December 14, 2023 Klingon word: rIl Part of speech: verb Definition: use the thumb Source: HQ:v10n2p9 This Klingon Word of the Day is brought to you by qurgh (qurgh@kli.org).
Klingon word: rIl Part of speech: verb Definition: use the thumb Source: HQ:v10n2p9 _______________________________________________ nujDajDaq rIl'egh ghu the baby sucks its thumb (HQ 10.2:8-9) ("at his/her mouth, the baby uses at him/herself his/her thumb") Most commonly used in reference to a child using a thumb. Cf. the synonym {Sen} "use the thumb" which is most commonly used in reference to an adult using a thumb. (HQ 10.2) (HQ 10.2:7-8): The two sets of words relating to thumb are pretty much interchangeable, though small children usually use {rIl} and {rIlwI'} rather than {Sen} and {SenwI'}. Similarly, adults speaking to or about children tend to use {rIl} and {rIlwI'}. Both words are used together in an idiomatic expression meaning everybody, everyone: {SenwI'Du' rIlwI'Du' je}, literally "thumbs and thumbs". This expression is often heard without the plural suffixes: {SenwI' rIlwI' je}. SEE: rIlwI' thumb (n) SEE ALSO: Sen use the thumb (v) SenwI' thumb (n) Heng finger holes in a musical instrument (v) 'uy press down (v) N.B. Do not confuse with the verb {rIl} "play (a wind instrument)", often with the noun {gheb} "horn (musical instrument)" -- {gheb rIl} ! -- 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.
I’ve always been amused by the verbs for fingers and toes, with the actual fingers and toes being the verb with {-wI’} added. It’s weird, because the verb doesn’t mean “do what the thumb does” such that the thumb is the thing doing what the thumb does. {rIl} means “use the thumb”, and the thing which uses the thumb, deserving the title of “thumb user” isn’t the thumb. It’s the person the thumb is attached to. I haven’t noticed any other use of {-wI’} comparable to this one. A {jabwI’} serves food. {jab jabwI’}. A thumb doesn’t use a thumb. {not rIl'egh rIlwI’}. I mean, maybe the cow in Restaurant at the End of the Universe could be described as {jab’egh jabwI’}, but that would be an uncommon circumstance. pItlh charghwI’ ‘utlh (ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)
On Dec 14, 2023, at 10:36 AM, Steven Boozer via tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org> wrote:
Klingon word: rIl Part of speech: verb Definition: use the thumb Source: HQ:v10n2p9 _______________________________________________
nujDajDaq rIl'egh ghu the baby sucks its thumb (HQ 10.2:8-9) ("at his/her mouth, the baby uses at him/herself his/her thumb")
Most commonly used in reference to a child using a thumb. Cf. the synonym {Sen} "use the thumb" which is most commonly used in reference to an adult using a thumb. (HQ 10.2)
(HQ 10.2:7-8): The two sets of words relating to thumb are pretty much interchangeable, though small children usually use {rIl} and {rIlwI'} rather than {Sen} and {SenwI'}. Similarly, adults speaking to or about children tend to use {rIl} and {rIlwI'}. Both words are used together in an idiomatic expression meaning everybody, everyone: {SenwI'Du' rIlwI'Du' je}, literally "thumbs and thumbs". This expression is often heard without the plural suffixes: {SenwI' rIlwI' je}.
SEE: rIlwI' thumb (n)
SEE ALSO: Sen use the thumb (v) SenwI' thumb (n)
Heng finger holes in a musical instrument (v) 'uy press down (v)
N.B. Do not confuse with the verb {rIl} "play (a wind instrument)", often with the noun {gheb} "horn (musical instrument)" -- {gheb rIl} !
-- 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.
_______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org
That may be just the simple English translation. Think of it more like, wiggle -> wiggler, poke -> poker, point -> pointer. Perhaps rIl IS what the thumb does, but how would we list that action in a dictionary for /normal/ people... "use thumb". - DloraH On Thu, 2023-12-14 at 13:15 -0500, Will Martin via tlhIngan-Hol wrote:
I’ve always been amused by the verbs for fingers and toes, with the actual fingers and toes being the verb with {-wI’} added. It’s weird, because the verb doesn’t mean “do what the thumb does” such that the thumb is the thing doing what the thumb does. {rIl} means “use the thumb”, and the thing which uses the thumb, deserving the title of “thumb user” isn’t the thumb. It’s the person the thumb is attached to.
I haven’t noticed any other use of {-wI’} comparable to this one.
A {jabwI’} serves food. {jab jabwI’}. A thumb doesn’t use a thumb. {not rIl'egh rIlwI’}.
I mean, maybe the cow in Restaurant at the End of the Universe could be described as {jab’egh jabwI’}, but that would be an uncommon circumstance.
pItlh
charghwI’ ‘utlh (ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)
On Dec 14, 2023, at 10:36 AM, Steven Boozer via tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org> wrote:
Klingon word: rIl Part of speech: verb Definition: use the thumb Source: HQ:v10n2p9 _______________________________________________
nujDajDaq rIl'egh ghu the baby sucks its thumb (HQ 10.2:8-9) ("at his/her mouth, the baby uses at him/herself his/her thumb")
Most commonly used in reference to a child using a thumb. Cf. the synonym {Sen} "use the thumb" which is most commonly used in reference to an adult using a thumb. (HQ 10.2)
(HQ 10.2:7-8): The two sets of words relating to thumb are pretty much interchangeable, though small children usually use {rIl} and {rIlwI'} rather than {Sen} and {SenwI'}. Similarly, adults speaking to or about children tend to use {rIl} and {rIlwI'}. Both words are used together in an idiomatic expression meaning everybody, everyone: {SenwI'Du' rIlwI'Du' je}, literally "thumbs and thumbs". This expression is often heard without the plural suffixes: {SenwI' rIlwI' je}.
SEE: rIlwI' thumb (n)
SEE ALSO: Sen use the thumb (v) SenwI' thumb (n)
Heng finger holes in a musical instrument (v) 'uy press down (v)
N.B. Do not confuse with the verb {rIl} "play (a wind instrument)", often with the noun {gheb} "horn (musical instrument)" -- {gheb rIl} !
-- 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.
_______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org
_______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org
participants (4)
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DloraH -
Klingon Word of the Day -
Steven Boozer -
Will Martin