tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 22 13:07:29 1995

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Re: AAARRRGGGHH!!!




On Mon, 22 May 1995, Brandon Smith wrote:

> OK, it's official! I am conceding defeat with this language.  It's not 
> that it is THAT hard, I just can't seem to get a claw into it to really 
> start me out.

yIjeghQo'!  Suvpa' jeghbe' SuvwI'.  (Don't give up!  A warrior does not 
give up before he fights.)

> Any suggestions? I've already purchased the Dictionary and one of the 
> audio tapes.

Read the grammar section of TKD.  Study it.  Listen to the tapes.  Try to 
write down a few phrases.  Memorize a couple of simple phrases and think 
about the meaning of each word as you say it.  Practice writing simple 
sentences.  Practice speaking.  Learn the pronunciation.  If you can 
pronounce a word, it is easier to memorize it.

Memorize a few basic words.  Good words to start with are {jatlh} (speak, 
say), {ghItlh} (write), {laD} (read), {ghaj} (have).
Memorize a couple of verb prefixes.  The most frequently used ones are 
{jI-} & {vI-}, {bI-} & {Da-}, and {-} (no prefix).

Practice reading Klingon sentences.  When I was just beginning, I found 
it helped to write down each sentence and write down the English 
translation under each word and then go back and figure out what then entire 
sentence meant.

Whenever you can't figure something out, just ask.
 
> What I really need is something to just kick me in the butt and say, 
> "LOOK, THIS IS HOW YOU GRUNT IT!" Or whatever.

Klingon is not a hard language.  It just looks hard at first because it 
is strange.  Once you figure out the basic concepts, you will discover 
that you can read and write Klingon without very much trouble.

> Brandon S. Smith

yoDtargh




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