tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 08 12:27:39 1998
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RE: question
- From: "Andeen, Eric" <[email protected]>
- Subject: RE: question
- Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 13:24:22 -0700
lab Scot Adams:
Welcome, Scot. My name is pagh, and I am the current Beginners' Grammarian
for the list. It's my job to help beginners learn Klingon. Whenever you have
a post you want help with, mark it for my attention by putting the letters
KLBC in the subject line.
> I assume that there is a very obvious answer to this, and I know
> that I will most likely get flammed for asking . . . but, as i am
> new to Klingon . . .
> Where can I go for a simple, quick course in basic Klingon. I have
> talked to Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen about the Klingon Language Institute,
> but I want a simple, quick list of grammar and vocab. Anyone?
> {Scot cringes as he prepares himself to receive the brunt of the
> attack . . .}
No need to worry about getting flamed here (unless you want to initiate a
round of mu'qaD veS (curse warfare), which Klingons consider a very
enjoyable activity).
There are quite a few resources these days for learning Klingon. The one you
simply can't do without is The Klingon Dictionary, by Marc Okrand. This book
describes almost everything we know about the grammar of the Klingon
language, and contains most of the vocabulary.
Okrand has written two other books - The Klingon Way and Klingon for the
Galactic Traveller. The Klingon Way is a book of proverbs, and is a good
place to get examples of Klingon sentences. Klingon for the Galactic
Traveller describes many things about the language that got left out of the
dictionary, including topics like regional and social variations in the
language, idioms, slang, and specialized vocabulary for warfare, food, and
the arts. It also has a fairly extensive wordlist to supplement the
dictionary. Okrand has also produced two audiotapes - Conversational Klingon
and Power Klingon - which are very good ways to learn pronunciation.
Since nearly all of what we know about Klingon is contained in the
Dictionary and in Klingon for the Galactic Traveller, the most important
part of learning is to read and reread these books, concentrating on the
grammar sections of the Dictionary.
The KLI sponsors a postal course run by David Barron which is good, although
response times can be a bit slow. This list is also an excellent place to
practice. This is one of the few places in the world where Klingon is used
*every day*, so you should be able to find lots of material to read. You can
also post your own messages about the Klingon language, or about ANYTHING AT
ALL if they are written in Klingon. And if you put KLBC in the subject line,
I answer any questions you have and correct the Klingon parts.
pagh
Beginners' Grammarian