Hol HoS ngaSlu' - "Contains Strong Language"

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And so we come to the invectives, oaths and curses which are a favourite of tlhIngan Hol.

The previous lesson broached the topic with the adverbial jay', which had its own unique grammar:-

Dargh neH vItlhutlhta' jay'	I only had the damned tea!
qatlh loDvetlh DawIv jay'	Why the hell did you pick that man?
qaStaH nuq jay'	What the hell is going on?

Now we can look at some of the other invective Klingons use. Let's start with some of the less potent exclamations.

Exclamations

These are some non-invective exclamations a Klingon will typically say.

DaH	Now!
Do'	Lucky!
Do'Ha'	Unfortunate.
ghaytanHa' jay'	Not bloody likely!
nom	Quickly! Speed it up!
not	Never!
pe'vIl	Forcefully! Put some muscle in it!
QIt	Slow down!
SIbI'	Immediately!
tagha'	Finally! At last!
tugh	Hurry up!
wej	Not yet!

These following exclamations are not adverbials.

ghobe'	No
HIja'	Yes
HISlaH	Yes
lu'	Okay, sure, I will
luq	Okay, sure, I will
maj	Good
majQa'	Very good, excellent
nuqjatlh	Pardon? Huh? What did you say?
nuqneH	What do you want?
pItlh	Done it! All done! Finished!
Qo'	Don't!, I won't!, I refuse
SuH	Ready!
Su'	Ready!
toH	Well! So! Aha!
wejpuH	Charming!
'eH	Ready!

SuH, Su' and 'eH are warnings that the speaker is about to issue a command. SuH and Su' can also indicate that the speaker is ready, or that arrangements are in place for some plan, indicating for instance that charges have been set, or that everybody is in place awaiting the signal to begin.

Oaths

The following are the oaths, general curses and invectives spoken by Klingons in the heat of the moment. Considering their passionate nature, they use these - and more - a lot.

Qu'vatlh

va

ghay'cha'

baQa'

Hu'tegh

QI'yaH

ghuy'cha'

Qu'vatlh is a general invective, along the lines of Damn! and the like. va is a shortened form of Qu'vatlh. va ghay'cha' baQa' is actually the three words va, ghay'cha' and baQa' in one phrase; this is the best response to being called a taHqeq - see below.

Hu'tegh and QI'yaH also find uses as curses, spoken when something unfortunate happens. ghuy'cha' is reserved for hearing bad news, for instance an unsettling communiqué or a suboptimal status report.

Epithets

These are insults, specifically aimed at people rather than general expressions of displeasure or outrage. As such, it is recommended that you only use these with caution if addressing a Klingon, because these are likely to precipitate a violent answer.

petaQ

toDSaH

yIntagh

Qovpatlh

taHqeq

petaQ is a general pejorative insult, sort of like calling someone "jerk" or "asshole," but with a lot more vitriol. petaQ confers images of weakness, of refusing to fight, and of generally dishonourable behaviour.

At the opposite extreme the last insult, taHqeq, is a particularly grievous epithet - someone who has been accused of speaking the lies of a taHqeq has been deeply insulted - and as such, expect a strong response from such an offensive challenge.

All the other epithets impugn the character of the person being spoken to. Generally these terms are only dimly translatable, but each confers upon the recipient some behavioural quirk that Klingons find deeply offensive. Some of you might find them insignificant - people who eat dead qagh gagh, or people who mumble and look shifty, anyone who smiles too much or speaks of nothing but trivia - but to a Klingon, these are unsocial qualities, and to be called someone who behaves in this manner is an unacceptable insult. To a Klingon, ugly is in the eye of the beholder.

In the next lesson, we will continue to look at insults and how to use them effectively - for instance in mu'qaD veS curse warfare.

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