tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Mar 28 22:49:33 1997
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Re: KLBC: How to describe klingon fonemes in I.P.A.?
- From: Ivan A Derzhanski <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: KLBC: How to describe klingon fonemes in I.P.A.?
- Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 08:54:32 -0800
- Organization: Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science
- References: <[email protected]>
Am preempting SuStel here, because this is more of a linguistic question
than a beginner Klingonist's one.
> What are the fonemes used in {tlhIngan Hol}, as described by linguists?
> I have seen references to the klingon {D} as a retroflex one, but never
> have I seen any description of the {tlh} or {Q} that made any sense to
> me when I looked at an I.P.A. chart.
{tlh} is an unvoiced dental lateral affricate, and {Q} an unvoiced
uvular affricate.
> I was specifically wondering about {ch}, {j} (Shouldn't those become
> *two* characters in the I.P.A.?),
That depends on which version of the IPA you're using. Personally,
I think it's abysmally stupid to write affricates as digraphs, and
favour the _t_-esh and _d_-yogh ligatures for want of anything better.
In the American version these are usually written as _c_ and _j_ with
hacek; that seems to work reasonably well.
> {D} and {S}
For retroflex sounds the IPA uses a hook turned to the right.
> [...] {Q}
I've seen this written as a _q_ followed by a chi (meaning a voiceless
uvular fricative) with a tie joining the two. If I ever happen to need
a notation for it, I dare say I'll use a small capital _Q_.
> [...] and worst of all {tlh} (I read somewhere in the mailing list
> archives that this is written with the greek letter lambda by some
> linguist,
It is written as a lambda with a bar across the middle. The unadorned
lambda is the voiced version of the same thing.
> *but there is no such letter in the the IPA* --
Well, I suppose those who would write all affricates as digraphs
would rather represent this as _t_ followed by a belted _l_ (the
standard notation for the voiceless lateral fricative).
> the closest one gets is [y&] which is written like a lowercase 'y',
> rotated 180 degrees -- i.e. a lambda turned the wrong way).
That's a palatal lateral approximant, an entirely different beast.
> I also wonder which of the klingon letters that are aspirated [...]
It seems that all unvoiced stops and affricates are. (Note that
it's the sounds that are aspirated, not the letters.)
--'Iwvan
--
"reH Sov yInej 'ej Dap yImuS, <dOstI bA mardom-e dAnA nEkO-st,
jagh val qaq law' jup QIp qaq puS" do^sman-e dAnA beh az nAdAn dOst>
(Sheikh Muslihuddin Abu Muhammad Abdullah Saadi Shirazi)
Ivan A Derzhanski <[email protected]>
H: cplx Iztok bl 91, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria <http://www.math.acad.bg/~iad/>
W: Dept for Math Lx, Inst for Maths & CompSci, Bulg Acad of Sciences