tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jun 23 15:53:54 1997

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RE: Requesting Phrasebook

[email protected] on behalf of Adam Ophir Shapira wrote:

>   I am trying to learn Klingon. I have a copy of all of the
> classic materials for learning Klingon (those including THE
> KLINGON DICTIONARY, as well as the two casettes, CONVERSATIONAL
> KLINGON and POWER KLINGON).
> 
>   However, there is something that I need in order to
> successfully learn the language that appears not to be
> availiable from any of these two sources. I need a
> phrasebook.

Heh . . . I suspect that the next book, "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler," 
will have just this contained inside.

>   THE KLINGON DICTIONARY is inadequate for this purpose,
> because it truly appears to be a dictioanry, not a textbook,
> and not a phrasebook. It is clearly more suited for
> reference than for anything else.

This is true.  Most of us learn Klingon by reading TKD, practicing, listening 
to the tapes, practicing, rereading TKD, practicing, and practicing.

However, there are a couple of things out there to help you.  Click on the 
"Projects" link on the KLI homepage <http://www.kli.org>.  Somewhere on there 
(I'm offline as I write this) you'll find instructions on how to take 
advantage of David Barron's Klingon Language Postal Course.  It's free beyond 
the cost of postage and has been highly praised.

I believe the Interstellar Language School has printed a couple of beginning 
Klingon language textbooks.  Unfortunately, I don't have the contact 
information.  Perhaps Ken Traft is listening, and can help me out?

>   On the other hand, the casette, CONVERSATIONAL KLINGON,
> has phrases in it, in an order that might be very helpful
> for me to learn ... only I can't use it as a phrase book,
> nor as a source from which to construct one, for a simple
> reason. It contains absolutely *no* information on how
> to *write down* the transliterated Klingon.

What you need to do is to learn the writing system used in TKD, and then 
practice applying it to CK.  For example, {bIje'be'chugh vaj bIHegh} is a 
complicated-looking phrase, but if you learn to pronounce it, and are able to 
pronounce other things, you'll be able to start transcribing what you hear on 
the tapes.

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97478.2

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