qonwI' is a tlhIngan Hol word that is commonly translated as "composer", and can refer to an author, songwriter, playwright, or the like. (tlhIngan Hol reference: Klingon for the Galactic Traveler)[1]
Etymology[]
The word qonwI' consists of the verb qon (meaning "compose", or "record") and the verb suffix -wI' (meaning "one who does", similar to the English suffix -er). (tlhIngan Hol reference: The Klingon Dictionary)
The word qonwI' might also be translated as "one who records" or "one who transcribes". This reflects the Klingon view that songs and stories are not invented, but rather they have their own, independent existence, waiting to be discovered, written down and performed. (tlhIngan Hol reference: Klingon for the Galactic Traveler)
The word qon is also used in reference to history, as in the saying qun qon charghwI'pu''e'. ("History is written by the victors.") (Klingon culture reference: The Klingon Way)
A qonwI' does not necessarily have to be a person. For example, a Klingon might describe a camera as a mIllogh qonwI', or "image recorder". (tlhIngan Hol reference: Talk Now! Learn Klingon)
Notable qonwI'pu'[]
Keedera was arguably the most respected 'qonwI' of the 24th century. (DS9 episode: "By Inferno's Light", tlhIngan Hol reference: Klingon for the Galactic Traveler)
See also[]
Footnotes[]
- ↑ In Klingon for the Galactic Traveler, Marc Okrand uses this word only to describe songwriters. However, in later correspondence with Klingon-speakers, he has clarified that is can refer to anyone who writes "literary works (poems, plays, romance novels, and so on)".[1]