tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 29 12:55:23 1996

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Re: Postmodernism & tlhIngan Hol



From:	INTERNET:[email protected], INTERNET:[email protected]
TO:	David W. Schaefer, 102262,3052
DATE:	07-29-96 3:40 PM

RE:	Re: Postmodernism & tlhIngan Hol

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Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 15:35:04 -0400
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To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Postmodernism & tlhIngan Hol

From:  [email protected] (Deb Alverson)

Dave,

Responding to this privately, feel free to post to the list though.

I am not familiar with Postmodernism language ideas, but find it fascinating.
 I write science fiction and (years ago in what seems a past life) studied
anthropology and some linguistics.  As I read your post about language:

>>You can't escape the language with which you speak.  Thought is based on
your
language, everything you interpret through sight, hearing, etc. is filtered
through language.<<

I remembered while studying French I found that when I spoke the language I
also thought in French.  If I had to assemble an idea in English, then
translate, I would lose the intent of a statement - or lose the entire thread
of thought.  Thinking in the language you are speaking does indeed influence
how thoughts are processed.  And therefore your view of the world.  When
speaking a language, you must take into account not only the words, but also
the principles of the language's society.  The Klingon concept of honor, as
an example, implies much more than just the English word.  Many problems with
translation arise from trying to do so directly - word for word - when what
should be translated is the idea or concept.    

>>Can the creation of an artificial language -- especially the uniquely alien
tlhIngan Hol -- fit into the postmodern theory?  Can an individual escape
his/her own language in order to be able to create another?  Does this
contradict the underpinnings of
postmodern thought?  Does it strengthen it? <<< 

I think an artificial language created solely for the sake of language
creation - such as Esperanto - is doomed to failure because there is no
underlying culture to provide the language life, passion, idiom and growth.
 With tlhIngan Hol the cultural aspects are in place, in order to speak
Klingon you must know the Klingon cultural environment.  Language and culture
seem almost a chicken-egg sort of thing.  Culture affects the development and
growth of a language, and language influences perception of the culture,
possibly affecting cultural development.

Generally, I think the creation of tlhIngan Hol does indeed fit the
postmodern philosophy.

As I said, fascinating concept!  Thanks for giving me a lot to think about
!!!!

Deb A.
D'ahlkris

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