Clipped Klingon, part 3 - Stressed

Klingons use Clipped Klingon in a number of places - mostly delivering commands, and responding to those commands with delivery of status reports in the same battle language.

wIy cha'!	Show the tactical display!
Qeq!	Aim!
Hub'!	Defend!

yajchu', qaH	Understood, Sir
chu'ta'	(device) Activated
chu'Ha'ta'	(device) Deactivated
Sevlu'	(enemy) Contained
ghoch	(target) Tracking
Qeq	(target) Locked

Clipped Klingon also occurs during moments of great stress. What constitutes stress to a Klingon would seem odd to a Terran; due to their natural predilection for hostility and tendency to enjoy flying off the handle at the slightest apparent provocation, Clipped Klingon would appear fairly frequently in common usage.

Examples:-

'el!	Get in!
bup!	Quit it!
DoH!	Back off!
mej!	Leave!
QongDaq!	Bed!
Sop!	Eat it!
mevyap!	Enough! (Stop!)
qIm!	Attention!
buS	Focus!
SuD jay'!	Take a damned risk!

The Adverbial jay'

jay' is a special adverbial. Its meaning is:-

jay'	intensifier (adv)

jay' carries the meanings intensely and invective. jay' occupies a special position in a sentence, in that it comes directly after the rest of the sentence. jay' intensifies the passion of the sentence to the point where it becomes an invective.

qaStaH nuq jay'?	What the hell is happening?
mIch 'elpu' jay'	They've entered the damned sector!
ghaytanHa' jay'!	Not bloody likely!
DaH lupwI' tIj jay'!	Get the hell on that jitney, NOW!
DoH jay'!	Back the hell off!
wa' pIq jay', 'aj!	One damned minute, Admiral!
verengan SoH'e' jay!	You ARE a damned Ferengi!

Clipped Klingon, Part 2 - Talking Back

Previously, we looked at Clipped Klingon and its use in giving commands. Essentially, the use of Clipped Klingon is similar to how orders are given in a battle in a human armed force. During a briefing or debriefing, a unit is instructed in proper Klingon:

Hoch Dopmeyvo' jagh ghom wIHIvnIS	We need to attack the enemy unit from all sides
DaHjaj DoS wej pagh wej wIcharghnIS	We need to secure Target 303 today
ngaq 'oH Qu'maj'e'	Our mission is support
qach SochDaq nov ghom yISev	Contain the alien unit within Building Seven
wImaghlu'	We are betrayed

However, in the heat of battle the commands are more terse:-

Hoch Dop jagh ghom HIvnIS	Enemy unit - all sides - attack
DoS wej pagh wej chargh	Secure Target 303
ngaq Qu'maj	Our mission is support
qach Soch nov ghom Sev	Contain alien unit - Building Seven
maghlu'	We are betrayed

Clipped Klingon is also used in the context of delivering responses and status reports, often in reply to the Clipped Klingon command

ja'!

Report!

(Proper Klingon: yIja'! Report!)

In Clipped Klingon, once again, the prefixes tend to be dropped, leaving the bare verb.

yajchu', qaH	Understood, Sir
chu'ta'	(device) Activated
chu'Ha'ta'	(device) Deactivated
Sevlu'	(enemy) Contained
ghoch	(target) Tracking
Qeq	(target) Locked

Proper Klingon

jIyajchu', qaH	I understand, Sir
jen vIchu'ta'	I have activated the device
jen vIchu'Ha'ta'	I have deactivated the device
jagh Sevlu'	The enemy is contained
DoS vIghochtaH	Tracking target
DoS vIQeqtaH	Target locked

Clipped Klingon, Part 1

This week's topic is Clipped Klingon.

Clipped Klingon is sometimes called "Battle Language," but it is used extensively outside of military context. Clipped Klingon often ignores some of the rules of "proper" Klingon grammar, and is often used under circumstances where quick, rather than eloquent, communication is necessary.

Dropping the Prefix

When giving a command in Clipped Klingon, leave off the imperative prefix. Just start with the verb. This is the most basic form of Clipped Klingon.

Formal Klingon:-

yIbuS!	Concentrate!
HIHIv!	Attack me!
peqIm!	Pay attention!
gholob!	Obey us!
tIHoH!	Kill them!
yIba!	Sit down!
yIDoH!	Back off!
yISop!	Eat it!
pemej!	Leave!
yI'el!	Enter!

Clipped Klingon:-

buS!	Concentrate!
HIv!	Attack!
qIm!	Attention!
lob!	Obey!
HoH!	Kill!
ba!	Sit!
DoH!	Back off!
Sop!	Eat!
mej!	Leave!
'el!	Enter!

In each instance, it should be clear who the subject and object of each command is. tIHoH, for example, would be given to a unit about to engage in lethal combat with a group of enemies. If there was a single target, the proper Klingon would be yIHoH - but even then, in Clipped Klingon the target should be clear to the person being commanded.

Clipped Klingon commands can also be given with a specific object:-

Formal Klingon:-

wIy yIcha'!	Show the tactical display!
pa' yI'el!	Enter the room!
He chu' yIghoS!	Follow a new course!
So'wI' yIchu'!	Activate the cloaking device!
cha yIbaH!	Fire the torpedoes!
Dujvetlh yItlha'!	Follow that ship!
Duj HeDaj yIghoch!	Track the ship's course!
tera'ngan yIyaH!	Take the Terran away!
jaghvetlh yIHoH!	Kill that enemy!
jen yIchu'!	Activate the device!

Clipped Klingon:-

wIy cha'!	Show the tactical display!
pa' 'el!	Enter the room!
He chu' ghoS!	Follow a new course!
So'wI' chu'!	Activate the cloaking device!
cha baH!	Fire the torpedoes!
Dujvetlh tlha'!	Follow that ship!
Duj HeDaj ghoch!	Track the ship's course!
tera'ngan yaH!	Take the Terran away!
jaghvetlh HoH!	Kill that enemy!
jen chu'!	Activate the device!

This would be, for instance, if it had to be made clear that it was the torpedoes which needed to be fired, rather than the phasers; or that it was the Terran, as compared to the Ferengi, which had to be taken away.

Critical Noun

If the noun is critical, and what needs to be done with it is obvious, the verb could be dropped leaving just the noun.

Formal Klingon:-

wIy yIcha'!	Show the tactical display!
So'wI' yIchu'!	Activate the cloaking device!
cha yIbaH!	Fire the torpedoes!
chuyDaH yIlaQ!	Fire the thrusters!

Clipped Klingon:-

wIy!	Tactical display!
So'wI'!	Cloaking device!
cha!	Torpedoes!
chuyDaH!	Thrusters!

This is particularly common in a ropyaH sickbay or ropyaH qach hospital environment:-

petqaD HInob!	Give me the bone knitter!
Haqtaj HInob!	Give me the scalpel!
'uD Haqtaj HInob!	Give me the laser scalpel!
tuj muvwI' HInob!	Give me the thermo-suture!

petqaD!

Bone knitter!

Haqtaj!Scalpel!
'uD Haqtaj!Laser scalpel!
tuj muvwI'!Thermo-suture!

In this instance, it is clear that the instruction is to give the surgeon the device or tool in question, rather than attempt to use it oneself.

Next: Clipped Klingon and Talking Back