tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Apr 18 13:07:04 2008
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Re: cha' Hol ngeb mu'ghommey Daj vItu'pu'!
Voragh:
> >> And how would you differentiate these various types of language in
> >> {tlhIngan Hol}?
ghunchu'wI':
> >Natural language: {chenpu'bogh Hol}
> >Artificial language: {Hol cherlu'pu'bogh} or {Hol 'oghlu'pu'bogh}
> >Fake language: {Hol ngeb} or {HolHey} or {Holqoq}, depending on how
> >charitable I felt at the time.
Certainly once you've established that the discussion is about natural vs.
artificial/constructed languages, these shorter forms would be acceptable,
at least in the interest of brevity. I suppose that *{Holna'} would be
entirely out of the question? <g!>
Mark J. Reed:
>Well, the term "constructed language", or "conlang" for short, is in
>wide currency outside of the Klingon community; I see no reason not to
>use it. It conveys the idea: someone sat down and constructed the
>thing. It didn't just evolve naturally. You could also call it a
>"planned language".
The KLI has used both *{Hol 'oghlu'(pu')bogh} - both with and without the
perfect suffix - on its website: "a language which someone (has)
invented/devised". I like the word "devised".
>I don't like "imaginary language". tlhIngan Hol may have been
>"imagined" as the native language of an "imaginary" race, but that's
>different from the language itself being imaginary...
Then you'll be glad to know that the Library of Congress has officially
classified {tlhIngan Hol} as an artificial language, not an imaginary
one. For the librarians on the List - Qov, you there? - here's the LC
Subject Authority File record for Klingon:
010 $ash 93002529
035 $a(OCoLC)03386976
040 $aDLC $cDLC
090 $aPM8415
150 0 $aKlingon (Artificial language)
450 0 $atlhIngan (Artificial language)
550 0 $wg $aLanguages, Artificial
670 $aWork cat.: 91-30430: Okrand, M. The Klingon dictionary, 1992.
670 $aHolQeD : the journal of the Klingon Language Institute, 1992.
"Imaginary languages" as an LC subject heading refer to those languages
mentioned in works of fiction (literature, movies, television,
etc.). ("Fictional language" would probably have been clearer, but it's
too late to argue the point with Washington.) In fact, there's a whole
series of imaginary subjects in cataloging:
Imaginary animals
Imaginary biography
Imaginary books and libraries
Imaginary buildings
Imaginary companions
Imaginary histories
Here are entered speculative works of history that present alternative
outcomes of historical events and subsequent changes in history.
Collections of fiction in which the plot or setting assumes an alternative
outcome of an historical event are entered under $aAlternative histories
(Fiction).
Imaginary places
Here are entered works on imaginary places created for literary or artistic
purposes. Works on legendary or mythical places are entered under
$aGeographical myths. Examples are:
Central City (Imaginary place)
Middle Earth (Imaginary place)
Yoknapatawpha County (Imaginary place)
Macondo (Imaginary place)
Angria (Imaginary place)
Imaginary societies
Imaginary wars and battles
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons