tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 25 15:08:12 1998
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Re: Klingon monocase
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Klingon monocase
- Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 18:07:48 EDT
In a message dated 98-06-24 15:21:05 EDT, you write:
> >
> >... What is people's experience of having to transmit
> >Klingon text in a medium ... that have only one case of letters?
>
> License plates.
>
It isn't too uncommon to see a license plate (at least in my area of
Pennsylvania) that has a Klingon word on it. The first 3 characters in many
license plates I see are letters, so often I see one that has BEJ or CHA some
other 3-letter word on a plate. Of course, words of more than 3 English
letters wouldn't be found as often (one exception that I can think of was the
license plate at qep'a' loSDIch that said BATLH :)
> After using klingon for a while we know if an [h] should be [h] or [H].
> The only problem would be with Q/q. Maybe use Q/K instead.
>
Actually, in the process of alphabetizing a computerized Klingon word list (by
replacing letters like {ch} with c, or {Q} with K as you suggest) I found
another problem. If you saw the word NENGHEP in all caps, it could be
interpreted as {nenghep} (Age of Asension) or as the nonsense {nengHep}. Since
NGH could be ng+H or n+gh, some method of distinction would be required.
Although NENGHEP is relatively easy to figure out, some words would have two
possibilities. For example, LENGHOM could be lenghom ("recess/break group",
maybe a series of breaks/pauses) or lengHom ("short trip").
> > What also if the medium used has no code for apostrophe?
>
> Hope they can figure it out by context. it's usually not to bad...
> there are words like be' law' chu' which don't have
> a counterpart be law chu.
> Some words like ta and ta' are different enough in meaning.
> What to do when you get to words like paw and paw' I don't
know...recast?
>
> Maybe use an used character, like x or z. ??
>
> A KLINGON could figure it out ;P
>
> DloraH
>
I think that the unused character idea would probably be best. Context would
help... if the word was part of a larger message, like in Morse code, it
wouldn't be too hard to figure out, but in the example of PC filenames, it
would be more of a problem. I believe the KLI's pIqaD font uses the "unused
character" substitution, so you could use that (i.e. "x" for {tlh}, "g" for
{gh}, "z" for {'}, etc.). If the medium doesn't permit spaces (like in file
names) then you've got an even bigger problem.. Klingon has a lot of homonyms
*without* removing the spaces or apostrophes.. If you had a filename or
license plate message of DALUMOHDI, it could mean quite a few things:
Da lumoHDI' When they exert influence on it, it behaves like them.
Da' lumoHDI' When they exert influence on the corporal.../When it causes the
corporal to fall (from power)...
Da' lumoH DI Rubble causes the corporal to fall (from power).
Dalu'moHDI' When someone causes it to act like him.../When it causes someone
to act like him...
DalumoHDI' When you cause him to fall (from power)...
Dalu'moH DI The rubble causes something to act like him.
Dal 'u' moHDI' When he exerts influence on the universe, it is boring./He's
ugly when the universe is boring.
Dal 'u' moH DI The ugly universe's debris is boring.
and maybe a couple more ungrammatical examples like {Dalum 'oHDI'}.
This also reminds me that we haven't had any contests in HolQeD recently..
Maybe a Klingon license plate contest, or another homophone contest is in
order. :) The affixes {Da-}, {DI-}, {lu-}, {-wIj}, {-lIj}, {-maj}, {-chaj},
{-Daj}, {-lI'}, {-ra'}, (and a lot of the other suffixes that have related
words like {-choH}) are separate words also. So there could be a lot of
meanings in a single phrase.
-Tad Stauffer