tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Oct 02 15:27:46 2004

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Re: just use it! (Re: jIb

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

ja'pu' ngabwI':
> the "experts" that you are studying really have no special
> insight into words, vocabulary, usage, etc. You have just as much

ja' lay'tel SIvten:
>I disagree.  They have more experience, and this is a vital difference.
>...They *do* have special insights into meanings and usage, as a
>direct result of using and thinking in the language.  They have more
>experience
>with recasting, building and understanding compounds.

I keep hearing this, but I don't think it is true.  Yes, we who have been
doing this for a longer time have more experience in having done it.  But
most of us are going to keep denying that it gives us a "special" insight.
We learned it from the primary sources and by practicing with others who
were learning it from primary sources.  That doesn't make us special.  On
the contrary, it makes us normal.  A strong understanding of Klingon should
not be obtained second-hand, and I'm almost convinced that it *cannot* be.

>They have heard or
>invented ways to say things that are not well known otherwise, and
>certainly are
>not part of canon.  They have been using the language among current-day
>Terrans, whereas canon is almost entirely concerned with 24th century Klingon
>society, much of which is simply irrelevant to us in our day-to-day lives.

If that gives us any special status, it's that we recognize neologisms and
coinings that aren't part of the "published" Klingon language.  In my
opinion, that makes us *less* worthy of emulation, not more.

-- ghunchu'wI'

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