tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jan 23 18:58:19 1996
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Re: A few quick questions... (Rridma)
>Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1996 19:29:05 -0800
>From: "HeadRush McManiac" <[email protected]>
> Number one -- when, in English, quotation marks are used, what is
>done in Klingon? For example: Qor said, "Fire the disruptors." How
>is this distinguished in Klingon?
In Klingon, all quotes are direct quotes; you can't say "Kor said to fire
the disruptors" any way other than "Kor said, 'fire the disruptors.'" The
punctuation is a matter of convention in any situation. Okrand has been
known to use direct quotes like this without quotation marks, but since all
the punctuation and writing in general is really supposedly a linguists'
convention for representing the "true" Klingon, it doesn't really have the
status of immutable grammar: you can do what works. Personally, I (and
most people) do use quotation marks as they are used in English, as a
convenience to the reader (even as punctuation is). So keep 'em. :)
> Number two -- I understand to use English proper nouns spelled as
>they should be in English -- put in the name Cory as Cory and not as
>QorI, for example -- but what if I wish to put in a word or two that
>are neither English nor Klingon -- for example, something about the
>Greosh people (or just a single Gre) that requires the name of the
>main continent, or the name of the first alien contacted by the
>Greosh (D'Jharthem Thasem)? If I write it simply as D'Jharthem
>Thasem, won't this confuse people who can't figure out if it's
>Klingon or English, since it's neither, but actually Ybbyrian? Is
>there a punctuation mark for something like this?
Same basic deal. You are likely best off NOT transliterating names/foreign
terms, since nobody will recognize them once you're through conforming them
to the Klingon orthography we use. And whether or not you transliterate,
you >definitely< need to flag your borrowings so that people recognize
they're not Klingon words that can be found in the dictionary, and won't
waste time trying to look them up (and then more time pulling their hair
out when they can't find them, etc). Most people flag such words (both
transliterated and not) by surrounding them with *'s. I've seen some who
precede the word with ~ instead; whatever works. But be sure to do it.
> Number three -- What is the best way for me to jump in to this
>messaging system? There are obviously some conversations that have
>been going on for a while... How does a newcomer fit in?
Um... talk. Post about whatever you feel, PROVIDED, of course, that your
discussion be IN Klingon or ABOUT Klingon. If you want to join an existing
thread, do so. If you want to start something else, go for it.
~mark