tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jun 30 19:33:25 1996

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Re: KLBC


>1) I've seen the .GIF file of the {pIqaD} alphabet.  If this is correct,
>   do the letters have any names?  For example, in English the letter
>   "b" is pronounced "bee".  When I want to make a reference to a specific
>   {pIqaD} letter, do I just say "Klingon bee" or is there a Klingon
>   name for the letter?  I've noticed that the {pIqaD} letters look a
>   lot like lip movements.  Is there a reason for this?  Also some of
>   the letters look pictographic.  For example, {b} looks like a {betleH}
>   to me, and I thought about calling it "the letter betleH", but
>   then what's the Klingon word for "letter (of the alphabet)"? 

Well, as far as I know, the 'names' of the letters of the pIqaD have never
been decided.  Well, since the assignments of the symbols to sounds is
entirely unofficial, I suppose any attempt at names of the letters would
likely be as unofficial.  (nevermind the fact that you od't have to match a
sound to a symbol to have a name for it, but the official cover story is the
pIqaD is just *too* complicated to go into.)

The only other language I can draw from is Spanish.  With very few
exceptions, most of the Spanish letters are named by merely using the sound
the letter makes, and sufixing (and occasionally prefixing) the sound with
the Spanish letter "e" (okay, there's a few other vowels in there too, but
not many) when necessary to make it pronounceable.  Compared to the
mish-mash of names English has, Spanish is amazingly consistent and regular
(high fiber diet?)

I'd like to think that tlhIngan would be at least as consistent, though we
know Klingons don't like starting words with vowels.  Between a, e, I, o,
and u, I'd vote for 'e' just 'cuz. :)

'a' be' che' De' 'e' ghe' He' 'I' je' le' me' ne' nge'
 'o' pe' qa' Qe' re' Se' te' tlhe' 'u' ve' we' ye' ' (?)

Okay.  It's a little monotonous.  

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