The Linguistic Downgrading of the Romulans

[Albertese]

This dialog always comfused me:

COMMANDER: Must it always be so? How many comrades have we lost in this way?

CENTURION: Our portion, Commander, is obedience.

I really never understood the Centurion's line. Am I missing a reference to something? Becuase listening to it, is sounds like "our portion" is an answer to "how many comrades were lost." The "is obedience" throws me off. I feel kinda foolish for not getting it, but if anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it.

I guess I always heard it wrong, but to my ear it sure sounds like he answers "A portion, Commander. 'Tis obedience."

Which would mean his answer is that they have indeed lost a portion of comrades in this manner. But that comes with the territory of obeying the Praetor's orders.

--Alex

 

[A beaker full of death]

^ Nope, it's definitely "our portion"

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Lenard's reading does suggest that he is answering the question AND saying something else.

Lenard, or Warburton?

 

[A beaker full of death]

^ It was Lenard's line, no?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Lenard played the Commander; Warburton played the Centurion. I thought the topic under discussion at the moment was how to interpret the Centurion's line.

 

[T'Bonz]

"Our portion [in life], Commander, is obedience."

Pretty straightforward to me. Kind of like saying, "Our lot in life, Commander, is obedience."

This dialog always comfused me:

COMMANDER: Must it always be so? How many comrades have we lost in this way?

CENTURION: Our portion, Commander, is obedience.

 

[Grant]

"Our portion [in life], Commander, is obedience."

Pretty straightforward to me. Kind of like saying, "Our lot in life, Commander, is obedience."

This dialog always comfused me:

COMMANDER: Must it always be so? How many comrades have we lost in this way?

CENTURION: Our portion, Commander, is obedience.

I kinda always got the implication that he meant 'our lot..', but it always did sound awkward to me anyway.

I also agree that the two situations are vastly different. A lot more dialogue needed to be said in 'Incident' and if they had been talking so formally it would have got bogged down.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Lenard played the Commander; Warburton played the Centurion. I thought the topic under discussion at the moment was how to interpret the Centurion's line.

Ah, my mistake. I didn't realize it was the Centurion's line. Been a while.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Lenard played the Commander; Warburton played the Centurion. I thought the topic under discussion at the moment was how to interpret the Centurion's line.

Ah, my mistake. I didn't realize it was the Centurion's line. Been a while.

I sorta agree with your point though, if I understand it. If the Centurion had stopped at "Our portion," then he would have meant something else. So, it does sorta play like maybe he was about to be disrespectful, but then catches himself and declares his obedience by extending his original statement, if that's what you mean. I always got that effect from it too; that's the actor giving it an extra and effective twist.

 

[UnknownSample]

I sorta agree with your point though, if I understand it. If the Centurion had stopped at "Our portion," then he would have meant something else. So, it does sorta play like maybe he was about to be disrespectful, but then catches himself and declares his obedience by extending his original statement, if that's what you mean. I always got that effect from it too; that's the actor giving it an extra and effective twist.

I can't remember, but I think I always think at first that he's saying they've lost "their portion" of ships, as in quite a few, and then, no, he doesn't mean that after all. Confusing, but "our portion" still can be figured out from the context. I'm not sure it shows extra "formality" to use an unusual or possibly old-fashioned expression like this, or that it's some sort of language "upgrade". Some people are just better and more creative about expressing themselves.

 

[47of74]

Of course since they were speaking Romulan and there was translation convention going on here it might have been poorly translated into English.

 

[StarCruiser]

Meh. They speak formally. So did Spock. Hardly Shakespearean.

Keep in mind that the English of Shakespeare's time was full - true - English. What we speak today is colloquial English (in it's many variants).

 

[1001001]

Of course since they were speaking Romulan and there was translation convention going on here it might have been poorly translated into English.

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