tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Feb 04 21:33:43 1998
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: Letter sounds question
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Letter sounds question
- Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 00:33:29 EST
In a message dated 98-02-04 15:19:25 EST, tevram writes:
<< I know that in Klingon, the S is frequently referred to as making the "sh"
sound. Is this a "true" english "sh" or is it more like a chinese "x"?
For instance, is the pronunciation of \Sa\ more like "sha" or "xa" in
chinese?
>>
----peHruS answers---
I am fluent in Chinese Mandarin (now called pu-tong-hua). I say that the S of
tlhIngan Hol is very much like the x of pu-tong-hua. Although I am not fluent
in Irish Gaelic, I know some. I would say that the S of tlhIngan Hol is even
more like the s of IrIsh Gaelicm such as in Carolan's Sí Bheag, Sí Mhor,
wherein Sí means fairy. The word comes into English in the word banshee
(white fairy). Also, it is important to note that tlhIngan Hol words do not
have a y/i immediately after the initial consonant, which pu-tong-hua often
has. So, unlike pu-tong-hua's xiang, I say that tlhIngan Hol's S is more like
Gaelic's siobhan.
In addition, tlhIngan Hol's ng is unlike that of Cantonese. The Cantonese
word ngam is pronounced almost ngi:am. In tlhIngan Hol there is no trace of a
y/i immediately after the initial consonant. The tlhIngan Hol word meaning
inhabitant is not ngi:an; rather, it is ngan. This took me a lot of
practicing to perfect.
Qapla' peHruS