[[
  [2008-04-25] transcription sent to me by Sangqar@hotmail.com
  [2008-04-29, 20:25-20:31] added metainfo
  [2008-05-02, 20:29-21:19] reformatted transcript, checked paragraph
    indentation, added summary
  [2008-05-03, 22:19-22:53] spell checked English using "aspell", reformatted
    example phrases to conform to earlier transcript style
  [2008-05-07, 15:52-16:25] carefully checked spelling of all Klingon
    words/phrases against original
  [2010-08-31] fixed transcription typo found when machine-parsing Klingon
  [2013-04-11] minor summary + source update
  Style: {}=bold, <>=italics, corrections, paginated

  Type: article
  Date: January 2004
  Title: Maltz's Reward: Part IV
  Author: Marc Okrand
  Source: <{HolQeD} 13:1>, pages 8--10
  Publisher: Klingon Language Institute, Flourtown, PA, ISSN 1061-2327
  Summary: Maltz explains how to say "A is as Q as B" (e.g. expressing that two
    different things are equally beautiful) and how to say "A isn’t Q:er than
    B". This is the reward for the fourth of those who succeeded in solving the
    "Frasier’s Klingon" challenge in <{HolQeD} 11:4>.

  TODO:
    * machine-check the Klingon syllables
    * in the name of the article the word "Maltz’s" is spelled with an "s" at
      the end here, but in "2003-12--holqed.txt" the "s" is excluded -- which
      one is correct?
    * compare line breaks to original

]][[p.8]]

Maltz's Reward
Part IV

The fourth person who correctly
filled in the missing line of
Frasier's bar mitzvah speech didn't
ask for a word, but instead for a
grammatical construction. Or maybe
it was for the word "as."

     The winner said he would like
to know how to express "A is as Q as
B," where A and B are the two things
being compared and Q is a quality.

     Maltz said there were a few ways
to say this. (Maltz is answering more
and more questions this way these
days.)

     One way to express the notion
of "A is as Q a B" is by attributing
the quality in question to A and
saying that B is the same, that is, Q
A, {rap} B "A is Q, B is the same" ({rap}
<be the same>), though the translation
into English is usually "H is as Q as
A," For example:

{ghun 'Iw HIq, rap boqrat chej}
the bokrat liver is
as warm as the bloodwine

literally, "The bloodwine is warm,
the bokrat liver is the same" ({ghun}
<be warm,> {'Iw HIq} <bloodwine,> {boqrat}
<bokrat,> {chej} <liver> [bokrat liver is
typically served hot in a stew]).

{'ey ro'qegh'Iwchab, rap qagh}
the gagh is as delicious
as the rokeg blood pie

literally, "The rokeg blood pie is
delicious, the gagh is the same" ({'ey}
<be delicious,> {ro'qegh'Iwchab} <rokeg
blood pie,> {qagh} <gagh>).

     It is also possible to use {nIb} <be
identical> rather than {rap}. For
example:

{'ugh ro'qegh'Iwchab, nIb raHta'}
the racht is as heavy
as the rokeg blood pie

literally, "The rokeg blood pie is
heavy, the racht is identical" ({'ugh}
<be heavy,>, {raHta'} <racht>).

     Using {nIb} carries a connotation
of preciseness -- the rokeg blood pie[[ -- :=---]]
and the racht are exactly the same
weight. Thus, it might be used when
referring to something that can be
measured, such as weight, but it is
not likely to be used with less
quantifiable qualities where the
assertion of sameness is more a
judgment, such as deliciousness. It is
never improper to use {rap} even in
cases where the quality is
measurable.

     The most common ways to
express "A is as Q as B," however,
involve constructions which parallel
the "{law'}/{puS}" construction for [["{law'}/{puS}":={law'}/{puS}]]
comparatives and superlatives.

     The normal way to express
comparatives (A is Q-er than B) is A
Q {law'}, B Q {puS} ({law'} <be many,> {puS}
<be few>), as in:

{tlhIngan qu' law' tera'ngan qu' puS}
the Klingon is more fierce
than the Terran
({tlhIngan} <Klingon,> {qu'} <be fierce,>
{tera'ngan} <Terran>)

     The normal way to express
superlatives (A is the Q-est) is to use
{Hoch} <all> in the B position:

{tlhIngan qu' law' Hoch qu' puS}
the Klingon is the fiercest (of all)

     If the quality being discussed is
the same for both A and B, that is, if
A and B are the same as far as Q [[p.9]]
goes, there are a number of options.
The most frequently heard, and
most neutral, construction is A Q
{law'} B Q {rap,} as in:

{tlhIngan woch law'
tera'ngan woch rap}
the Klingon is as tall as the Terran
({woch} <be tall>)

     While, in theory, it is possible to
use the same construction with {puS}
instead of {law'} (that is A Q {puS} B Q
{rap}), this is seldom done and when
it is done, there is a connotation of
disparagement.

     A variant of this construction
uses {nIb} instead of {rap}:

{tlhIngan woch law'
tera'ngan woch nIb}
the Klingon is as tall as the Terran

     Again, {nIb} implies precision
(the Klingon and the Terran are that
exactly as tall as each other) and is
not likely to be used unless the
quality being discussed is
quantifiable or measurable. {rap}, on
the other hand, may be used
regardless of whether the quality is
quantifiable.

     It should be noted that this
restriction on {nIb} applies only in
this sort of construction It is
perfectly natural to say, for example,
{nIb va'nuchDu'chaj} "their heels are
identical" ({va'nuch} <heel,> {-Du'} <plural>,
{-chaj} <their>) without suggesting in
what way they are identical and
without implying that any precise
measuring has or has not occurred
or could or could not occur.

     If the quality being discussed is
a positive one, or if having the
quality is a positive attribute,
another (similar) construction may
be used: A Q {law'} B Q {law'}. Likewise,
if the quality is a negative one, or if
having the quality is considered a
negative attribute, one may use the
construction A Q {puS} B Q {puS}.
Compare:

{ro'qegh'Iwchab 'ey law'
qagh 'ey law'}
the rokeg blood pie is
as delicious as the gagh

{'Iw HIq bIr puS
chuch bIr puS}
the bloodwine is as cold
as the ice is (<or,> the bloodwine
is as cold as ice)
({bIr} <be cold,> {chuch} <ice>)

     Being delicious is a good thing
as applied to food, so using {law'}
twice emphasizes just how delicious
the two dishes are. On the other
hand, bloodwine is best when served
warm. Using {puS} twice emphasizes
how inappropriate the coldness of
the bloodwine is. (It is not likely
even cold bloodwine is really as
cold as ice, but a disgruntled
Klingon is not beyond hyperbole.)

     Maltz pointed out that although
these constructions may be used to
form similes, they are generally used
only when comparing similar
things. Commonly, a simile (where
two basically unlike things are
compared) is of the form Q A; B {rur}
({rur} <resemble>) (thus, A resembles B
with regard to a particular quality,
Q, though otherwise A and B would
probably not even be compared). For
example:

{puj verengan; bIQ rur}
the Ferengi is as weak as water
({puj} <be weak,> {verengan} <Ferengi> {bIQ}
<water>)

literally, "The Ferengi is weak;
he/she resembles water."

     When the {law'}/{rap}, {law'}/{law'} or
{puS}/{puS} constructions are used to [[p.10]]
compare unlike things, they
generally make reference to (or,
better, are recastings of) well-known
similes. For example:

{SuvwI' ghung law'
qagh ghung rap}
the warrior is as hungry as gagh
({SuvwI'} <warrior,> {ghung} <be hungry>)

Compare:

{ghung; qagh rur}
hungry as gagh

{tlhIngan HoS law', 'Iw HoS law'}
the Klingon is as strong as blood
({HoS} <be strong,> {'Iw} <blood>)

Compare:

{HoS; 'Iw rur}
strong as blood

{verengan puj puS, bIQ puj puS}
the Ferengi is as weak as water

Compare:

{puj; bIQ rur}
weak as water

     To express the opposite notion,
that is "A is not as Q as B," the most
common locution is A Q {law'} B Q
{pIm} ({pIm} <be different>), as in:

{QuchlIj vIl law' QuchwIj vIl pIm}
your forehead is not as ridgy
as my forehead
({Quch} <forehead,> {-lIj} <your,> {vIl} <be ridgy,>
{-wIj} <my>)

     Here is an instance where the
English translation does not
properly capture the Klingon
meaning. The English "your
forehead is not as ridgy as my
forehead" implies (though it does
not explicitly state) that my
forehead is ridgier than yours. This
implication is not in the Klingon.
{QuchlIj vIl law' QuchwIj vIl pIm}
means only that the ridginess of
your forehead and mine is not the
same. If the intended meaning is
what the English implies, one would
use the normal {law'}/{puS}
construction:

{QuchwIj vIl law' QuchlIj vIl puS}
my forehead is ridgier
than your forehead

     To disagree with this notion,
that is, to assert that your forehead
is not ridgier than mine (it may be
less ridgy, or the ridginess may be
the same), one would use the
construction A Q {law'be'} B Q {puSbe'}
(A's Q is not many, B's Q is not few)
({-be'} <not>):

{QuchlIj vIl law'be'
QuchwIj vIl puSbe'}
your forehead isn't ridgier
than my forehead

     With that, Maltz said {jIH Doy'
law' SoH Doy' puS} (<I am more tired
than you are>) and left the room,
muttering something about
considering the next Frasier request
at another time.

[[eof]]