Klingon Language - Noun Rules

Noun Rules

Simple Nouns:

Simple nouns are made up of 1 root word, like DoS, which means target, or QIH, which means destruction.

Compound Nouns:

Compound nouns are made up of 2 words, like jolpa’, which means transport room. jol means transport beam while pa’ means room.

Verb + wI’ Nouns:

wI’ in Klingon is the equivalent of er in English. Builder is one who builds and toaster is something that toasts. In Klingon, gunner is baHwI’, which comes from baH, which means fire, and wI’, which is er in English. So baHwI’ is one who fires .

Suffixes:

Nouns in Klingon can have up to 5 suffixes, of 5 types in the following order. Noun-Suffix Type 1-Suffix Type 2-Suffix Type 3-Suffix Type 4-Suffix Type 5. Nouns do not necessarily have to have 5 suffixes. If type 4 was missing, it would be the same exact order but without type 4.

Suffix Type 1, Qualitative:

The qualitatively stronger suffix is the letter ‘a’. For example, SuS means a wind or breeze. SuS’a’ gives it a stronger meaning, so SuS’a’ is a strong wind. The qualitatively weaker suffix is the letters Hom. SuSHom means a light wisp of air.

Suffix Type 2, Number:

The type 2 suffixes refer to the number of objects, plural or singular. Even if there is no type 2 suffix, it may still be plural based on context. There are 3 number suffixes. The first is pu’, which applies to all beings capable of using language. Humans would have this suffix, but dogs would not. The second type 2 suffix is Du’, which refers to body parts. qam is foot, while qamDu’ is feet. The final number suffix is mey. mey pluralizes a general noun. mID is colony while mIDmey is colonies. If you add mey to the end of a being capable of using language, it implies that they are scattered about. puq is child. puqpu’ is children. puqmey is children all over the place. Some Klingon nouns are always plural, although they do have a singular word. DoS is target, while ray’ is targets.

Suffix Type 3, Qualification:

These suffixes indicate the speaker’s attitude towards the noun. The first qualification suffix is qoq, which means so-called. If the speaker does not believe that the peace is real, he or she will say rojqoq instead of just peace, roj. The second qualification suffix is Hey, which means apparent. If a scanner detects a vessel, but is not 100% sure, they will say DujHey, an apparent vessel rather than Duj, a vessel. The final qualification suffix is na’, which means definite, and is the opposite of the suffix, Hey. Dujna’ is a definite vessel.

Suffix Type 4, Possession:

These suffixes indicate possession, and have a lot of different types of suffixes. The first type 4 suffix is wIj, which means my. lIj is your (singular), Daj is his/her/its, maj is our, raj is your (plural), and chaj is their. Beings capable of using language have different type 4 suffixes for 1st and 2nd person type 4 suffixes. These are those suffixes. wI’ is my, ma’ is our, lI is your (singular), and ra’ is your (plural). If a noun possesses another noun, like, the enemy’s weapon, you do not use a suffix, but simply say the 2 nouns in order of possessor, possessed. Therefore, enemy’s weapon would be jagh nuH, which translates to enemy weapon. The type 4 suffix vam means this, although when used after a plural noun it means these. vetlh is a type 4 suffix that means that. When vetlh is used after a plural noun, it means those.

Suffix Type 5, Syntactic Markers:

These suffixes indicate something about the function of the noun in the sentence. The first type 5 noun is Daq. Daq explains that something is happening to the noun it is attached to. The next type 5 suffix is vo’. This means from. pa’ is room, so pa’vo’ means from the room. The next type 5 suffix is mo’, which means due to or because of. SuSmo’ means because of the breeze. The next type 5 suffix is vaD, which means for, or intended for. Qu’ means mission, so Qu’vaD means for the mission. The last type 5 suffix is ‘e’ with two apostrophes around it. This means that the noun it is attached to is the topic of the sentence.