tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 15 21:08:44 1995

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Re: TLHINGAN-HOL digest 337

ghItlh Qeygh

>The other interesting thing is that in English there is a syllable break
>between the "n" and "g" (Klin-gon)-- ...

     I feel I must disagree.  The "ng" of "Klingon," like the "ng" of
"singer," "ringer," and "hanger" is a single phoneme, a velar nasal
continuant (Let's symbolize it /N/.), the same one you find at the end of
"king."  We say "kin" /kIn/ and "king" /kIN/.  We do not, in most dialects
of American English, say /sINger/, /rINger/ or /haeNger/; although I have
heard children do so, children who had not yet mastered the pronunciation
of their language.  We say /sINer/, /rINer/ and /haeNer/.
     My use of the /er/ is incorrect phonologically, but it is not part of
what I am saying anyway.  Perhaps someday we'll have an IPA font usable here.
     The "ng" of "Klingon" is not the cluster you find in such words as
"finger," "tango," and "bongo" which we pronounce /fINger/, /taeNgo/ and
baNgo/. (/ae/ as in "pat" and /a/ as in "pot")  There a syllable break is
possible between /N/ and /g/.
     Let's put it yet another way:  When the actors on Star Trek say
"Klingon," it sounds, at least to me, like "cling on" not "cling gone."
You may have heard someone say "cling gone," but I doubt it was in an episode.

     Qapla'

     qeSmIv HarghwI'

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