tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 16 02:39:51 1995
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Klingon on the Live TV channel, UK
- From: [email protected] (Richard Kennaway)
- Subject: Klingon on the Live TV channel, UK
- Date: Mon, 16 Oct 95 10:43:00 BST
(I recently sent this to [email protected], but I think it got dropped on
the floor during the changeover. At any rate, I've not received a copy
back.)
Last Wednesday I appeared on "Morning Live", a magazine program broadcast
by the Live TV cable channel in the UK from 9am to 12. This was in
connection with the Star Trek exhibition currently touring the country, and
which opened in London yesterday at the Science Museum.
I was first interviewed, giving my answers in Klingon, with English
subtitles. Later in the programme, I was interviewed "straight", about the
attraction of science fiction and Star Trek.
Here's the script of the Klingon interview I prepared for them. I wasn't
able to record it, as the local cable company doesn't distribute Live TV
(and I'm not on cable anyway), but I asked them to send me a tape.
The Klingon and the English version of my answers sometimes deviate
blatantly. This is deliberate.
I await dismemberment by the Grammarian.
Q: Who are the Klingons?
A: tIQ maH. quv maH. toDuj, HoS, batlh je DIvuv law', Hoch DIvuv puS.
Subtitle: They are an ancient and honorable race, who value courage,
strength, and honour above all things.
Q: The Klingons used to be enemies of the Federation, but I believe they
are now allies?
A: DIS law'Daq tera' wISuvtaH. vaj Doghjeychaj DIlajpu'.
Subtitle: For many years we fought the humans. Finally, we accepted
their plea for peace.
Q: How do Klingons regard humans?
A: jun tera'nganpu'. tlhIb chaH 'ej yuD chaH. tlhIngan 'oHbe'chu' tera'ngan.
Subtitle: Humans seem to us evasive, bumbling, and weak. Humans are
certainly not Klingons.
Q: How did the Klingon language come to be created?
A: Doch'a'mey rInmoHchu' *Paramount*.
*Star Trek* lut wejDIchDaq marQ 'oqranD lughuvpu'.
tlhIngan Hol nabta'.
tlhIngan mu'ghom lulIngta', 'ej SuvwI' Hol HaDtaH tera'nganpu'.
Subtitle: Paramount are very thorough. For the third Star Trek film,
they commissioned Marc Okrand, a linguist, to design the whole language.
They published a Klingon dictionary, and humans began to study the
warriors' tongue.
Q: Are there many humans learning Klingon?
A: HISlaH! DatDaq Hatlh law'Daq ghojwI' vatlhmey.
chenta' tlhIngan Hol DIvI'.
Holmaj Ho'qu' tera'nganpu'.
Subtitle: Certainly! There are hundreds of students in many countries.
A Klingon Language Institute has been founded to unite them. Humans are
quick to appreciate our language.
Q: How does the Klingon language reflect their culture?
A: puj tera'ngan Holmey. tlhIngan Hol'e' mu' HoS mu' qu' je law' ngaS.
mu'mey potlh ngaS: batlh, tonSaw', QeH, yuch je.
SuvmeH pu'mey mu'mey je lo'laH SuvwI'.
Subtitle: It is full of strong, harsh sounds, with no human flabbiness.
It has many words for the important things of life: honour, fighting,
secrecy, and chocolate. A warrior knows how to fight not only with
phasers, but with words.
Q: How would a Klingon say "hello", for example?
A: not tlhuHchaj lulo'Ha' tlhInganpu'. tera'ngan'e' yap "nuqneH".
Subtitle: Klingons do not waste their breath on pleasantries. "nuqneH"
is close enough - it means "what do you want?"
Q: And what about "goodbye"?
A: [with a sneer] "goodbye" jatlhbe'bej tlhIngan. rInDI' malja' mev mu'mey.
Subtitle: There is no word for "goodbye". When business is finished, the
conversation is over.
Q: Thank you.
A: 'IwlIj jachjaj.
Subtitle: May your blood scream!
___
\X/ Richard Kennaway, [email protected], http://www.sys.uea.ac.uk/~jrk/
School of Information Systems, Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich