tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Jul 31 12:48:16 2004

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Re: mu' lo' QaQ 'oSbogh mu'tlheghmey

Alan Anderson ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

ja' "...Paul" <[email protected]>:
>So I think there's really a place for all approaches.  Yes, using the
>language in a conversation is definitely really good practice.  The
>problem is that if you have a very complex conversation, it's information
>overload.

The nice thing about using the language in a conversation is that it's
interactive.  If you can't keep up, the other person is able to accomodate
you, using shorter sentences or less esoteric words or simply slowing down.

>I've read through some of the longer all-Klingon messages,
>using things like pojwI' to translate the words I don't remember, but
>there are so many words I don't remember that when I'm done, I still have
>no association of word-to-meaning.  That's just me, YMMV.

No, it's not just you.  I had exactly the same experience when I installed
a computerized translator to help me read Klingon messages.  Things like
pojwI' and mu' HaqwI' are too easy, and I stopped learning vocabulary as
soon as I began using them.  The solution was to go back to looking things
up in the paper dictionary exclusively.  It's easier for your brain to
remember the words than for you to thumb through TKD over and over.

In fact, when you're actively working on building vocabulary, it might be
useful for you to put a big rubber band around TKD, or keep it stashed in
the refrigerator instead of near your computer, just to make it harder to
look things up.

>What's unfortunate is that we really need a better medium than just text
>to really teach a language well.  We can get by, reinforcing the
>Klingon-to-English translation, but I think to really internalize the
>vocabulary, one needs to establish a better mental relationship with it.
>This is where the "See Spot Run" books come in.  :)

The old "KEVE" MUSH was a great place to get comfortable with using Klingon
in an interactive, ad hoc, off-the-cuff fashion.  Yes, it was "just text",
but it had pictures just like radio plays do.  It's a shame the
reconstituted MUSH wasn't more frequently...um...frequented, before it
disappeared again.

>Maybe someone needs to come up with a web CGI or something that can show
>pictures with words.  I know having pinned a piece of paper with the word
>/quS/ to my desk chair at work has helped me remember *that* word.  :)
>Hmm.  Maybe I'll try to work up a rough example tomorrow.  :)

That's fine for many nouns, until you get into things like {jolvoy'} and
{pIvlob} and {chemvaH}.  Then again, how do you portray {Sun} or {DIb} in a
picture?  And most verbs aren't any easier.

-- ghunchu'wI'

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