tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu May 14 11:35:20 1998

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Re: schoolbook

: From: Shaun Ault <[email protected]>:
: >I was thinking of compiling something like a Klingon textbook over
: >the Summer.
: 
: I believe the Interstellar Language School created a multi-part Klingon
: textbook course of some kind.  I've never seen it, however.  It's a good
: idea.
: 
: SuStel

The ILS sells the three volume "tlhIngan Hol: An Alien Primer" at about $12
per volume, together with a {pIqaD} exercise book -- write Ken Traft at
[email protected] for details.  I have a set and it's not bad, though it needs
to be brought up to date with all the material published after "Power
Klingon".  As I understand it, it started out as the lessons Krankor and
Glen Proechel devised for the first couple of Klingon Language Camps, so it
does include things like {Duj} for "car" and {chuS'ugh} for "guitar" (which
evidently Krankor often played).  It introduces a little grammar in each
lesson (i.e. 2-3 affixes), but its real strength is the set of about 10
English to Klingon and 10 Klingon to English exercises to drill the grammar
and vocabulary.

I also took David Barron's postal course three or four years ago when I
started playing with Hol, often receiving printouts of the first draft.
Although I liked his explanations -- though like Proechel's, they were too
brief -- I was less than impressed by his chapter exercises.  Midway through
the course, the beginner also had to start making up 5+ sentences using the
available vocabulary and grammar, then translate them into Klingon.
Pedagogically, this is a bad idea for the students, though it does make it
much more interesting for the teacher.  Students need to drill certain
patterns and affixes over and over, and it is the experienced teacher who
knows which areas are problematic.  I understand David has since re-written
the postal course and I'd be interested in seeing the current version.

I've often thought that the KLI should assemble copies of the FAQ and all
available teaching materials, in all extant languages (I know of online
lessons in French, German and Finnish) and put together its own teaching
grammar.  It would have plenty of explanations, *lots* of examples from
canon, many translation drills and it would be accompanied by an answer key
for those working by themselves.  I imagine Barron, Proechel and all past
Beginning Grammarians would have plenty of advice on just what areas they
have had to constantly explain and re-explain to confused beginners, an
ever-groiwing number of whom are not native speakers of English.
Unfortunately, it would also need Paramount's imprimatur.

Voragh

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