tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 07 20:53:12 1993
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Re: tlhIngan mu'ghom'a' chu'
ghItlh [email protected] (Nick NICHOLAS)
>The KBTP, and projects of its ilk *matter*, if Klingon is to cease being a
>plaything and start being a real language. If you'd fain not the Bible,
>great; I'm prepared to start coordinating Shakespeare translators. But this
>is a Klingon language mailing list, and I'll be damned to hell and back if
>i'm going to refrain from posting linguistic commentary on Mark's Jonah
>translation because of these sensibilities.
What do you mean "a real language"? Are you seriously suggesting that
you want significant numbers of people to use Klingon as their
everyday language? That various "famous books" should be published in
the language? Heavens, why? If you're going to push an artificial
language, at least choose one with a phonetic structure resembling
that used by all known human langauges.
I suppose to me Klingon _is_ a "plaything". I picked up my copy of TKD
back in 1985 because (a) I'm a Star Trek fan and (b) I'm interested in
"strange" languages. I think of Klingon in a way similar to the way I
think of Tolkien's Elvish languages - all are interesting constructs
relating to fiction I'm interested in. (I have a weakness for
"world-building" SF.)
I assume people are translating Shakespeare and the Bible because
"everyone has copies", because they are "standard". Personally I think
I'd be more interested in seeing translations/elaborations of the few
stories about Kahless we've heard on TNG, or original episodes of
"Battlecruiser Vengeance" (from John Ford's _The Final Reflection_ -
think Star Trek, but from the point of view of the Klingons (Ford's
Klingons, however)), or people's summaries of Star Trek episodes. _The
Art of War_ or _The Book of Five Rings_ also seem to be more plausible
"Klingon" texts as opposed to the Bible.
Far be it from me to push a "get a life, Trekkie" message; Klingon is
one of those languages I would be interested in getting better at,
given the time. But it seems to me this "let's seize Klingon from
Okrand and turn it into a _real_ language" attitude is taking things a
_mite_ too seriously.
mu'meyraj lIlo'taHvIS HIjang pagh 'etlhmeyraj lIlo'taHvIS HIjang.
-QumpIn 'avrIn