tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 14 19:56:18 2003

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Re: Klingon - Terminology Databases (IMHO)



ja' ghunchu'wI':

> Part of the problem with that image is that I think relatively few Trekkies
> would care enough about the language to want to help.  The overlap between
> costume fans and language fans is surprisingly -- and disappointingly --
> small.

In my experiance in Trekdom, and specifically Klingon Fandom, I would have 
to disagree. I have met a great deal of Klingon fans who have an intrest 
in the language, they don't have the level of intrested you or I do, but 
there is intrest there none the less. 

The feeling I get from these kinds of people is that learning a language 
is more work than they have time for in this face paced world of ours. 
Many of them want to know some of the language, they want to know phrases 
they can use at conventions, they like singing songs in Klingon (as long 
as they have lyric sheets and someone to help them) and if there was a 
way to inject the knowledge of tlhIngan Hol into someone's brain (ala 
Gibson) there would be tons of costumed Klingon speakers all over the 
place.  

The biggest problem that I hear people telling me is that they want 
something simple to start with. TKD is nice for a person is really wants 
to learn the language, but it's not the school textbook that people want 
to see. I've heard people say that they wish there were a dick and jane 
type series in Klingon to help them learn it. Or the type of textbook they 
can write answers in and then check them in the back. Something like the 
French textbook I had when I was a kid or the Farsi textbook I had when I 
was in college.

The TKD is a very good description, but it's not the best teaching tool. 
Anyone up for making a "Teach yourself tlhIngan Hol in 14 days" or 
"tlhIngan Hol for dummies"? Going by what I have been told by a large 
number of costumed fans, something like that would really help.

qurgh



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