From: "William H. Martin" [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Okrand Speaks: Measurement
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 12:36:23 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

Again, from the news list, Okrand speaks. He said in a
coversation surrounding but not in the HolQeD interview that
most units of measure had alternate forms wtih -'a' added to
mean "9 times", so that one 'uj'a' = 9 'ujmey. I didn't think at
the time, but wrote in to the NEWS list that I wondered if
-Hom would mean a ninth of that measurement. This is his
response.

charghwI' 'utlh

*****************************************************

No. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

An 'uj is a unit of linear measurement, roughly 35
centimeters; an 'uj'a', or "big uj" ('uj plus the
augmentative suffix -'a' "big") is nine times as long, or
nine ujes, somewhat over three meters.

The Klingon measurement system is more like the British and
American system in that the names of the units, for the
most part, have nothing to do with each other (inch, foot,
yard, mile, and
so on). This differs from the metric system, where the
names are basic units modified by a set of prefixes (meter,
millimeter, centimeter, kilometer, etc.).

Thus the existence of a unit known as a "big uj" ('uj'a')
does not mean there's a mathematically related diminutive
counterpart (a "little uj," or 'ujHom)

Maltz did say, however, that he'd heard the term 'ujHom
used in a story about a merchant lacking honor, something
about the merchant not filling the order properly.



Will Martin wrote in message
...
So, if an 'uj'a' is nine 'ujmey, is an 'ujHom a ninth of an 'uj?

--
charghwI' 'utlh