tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 14 23:46:05 1996

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Re: <K'>vaD ghItlhlu''a'?

>> I think a lot of this is word-games.  From what we've seen in Klingon, the
>> facts are these:
>> 
>> 1) All syllables begin with a single Kronstint (with the exception of the
>> suffix -oy), where Kronstints are b,ch,D,gh,H,j,l,m,ng,p,q,Q,r,S,t,tlh,
>> v,w,y,'.
>> 
>> 2) all syllables have exactly one vooble, where voobles are defined as
>> a,e,I,o,u, which follows the Kronstint.
>> 
>> 3) A syllable may end with:
>> 
>>   a) nothing after the vooble
>> 
>>   b) a single Kronstint after the vooble (provided that if the vooble is u
>>      or o, the closing Kronstint can't be w)
>> 
>>   c) the structure "-rgh" (call it a cluster, a phoneme, whatever) after
>>      the vooble
>> 
>>   d) structures "-y'" or "-w'" after the vooble (provided that if the
>>      vooble is u or o, the structure can't be -w')
>> 
>> Now, that's what we know about the syllable structure.  Note that much of
>> it isn't spelled out, but only known from inspection of the lexicon.  Lest
>> you think that's taking too many liberties, I point out that it is only
>> through inspection of the lexicon that we come to the conclusion that
>> initial consonant cluster are fobidden, and I think most of us will agree
>> to that, given the lengths to which Okrand has gone to avoid them.  So if
>> you will say that the above is not complete because it was never explcitly
>> explicitly stated to be so, you must also permit words like "*jqIm" and
>> "*mmapq".
>> 
>> Given the above, it sounds like a lot of the fighting is over what to call
>> things.  You could come up with a set of rules that produced exactly the
>> same set of syllables by dividing things up differently, saying instead
>> that after the consonant (which I called a Kronstint above to use made-up
>> words that I could define as I wanted), there must come a vowel or a
>> diphthong, with appropriate definitions and then restrictions on the end
>> (only ' may follow a diphthong, rgh has its own exception, etc).  And
>> that's as valid a description as this.  Because that's all these are:
>> DESCRIPTIONS.  Emphasis on the DE-.  They are not PRESCRIPTIONS.  Do we
>> know for *sure* that you can't have another consonant after -ay aside 
>> from '?  No more than we know you can't have initial clusters.  All this is
>> presumed from what we have and lack evidence for.
>> 
>> So I'm not all that concerned with what you call things.  Call them voobles
>> and Kronstints for all I care.

Yeah!  I love it!  Voobles and Kronstints forever! ({vubelmey qronStIntmey
je}?)

But your list of {vublemey} is IMHO deficient in that {aw}, {ay}, {ey},
{Iy} and {oy} should be included as they are specifically mentioned in
TKD, pp._16-17.  You've sorta covered these in your rules (b) and (d)
above, but I think that including them as entries in the list of voobles
would be a clearer, neater solution to the problem.  What do you think?


Qapla'

qrlIH veStaySortlhIH Sogh la'       Lt. Commander K'rlikh Vestai-Shor-Klikh
tlhIngan wo' Duj qIj leng ra'wI'    Commanding Officer, IKV Black Odyssey
Qanpu' pogh DuQ cha'DIch ra'wI'     Deputy C.O., Mailed Glove Squadron

a.k.a.

--
Denny Shortliffe

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