tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Aug 11 21:22:56 1999
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Re: Vowels
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Vowels
- Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 00:25:36 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
- Priority: NORMAL
On Tue, 10 Aug 1999 22:48:24 EDT [email protected] wrote:
> ghIth HomDoq
> > I think the whole discussion is somewhat complicated by the fact
> > that we don't really know what Klingon linguists consider to
> > be phonemes, and that we have to base all this phonological
> > stuff on the artificial non-Klingon writing systems graphemes.
> >
> And I maintain that the structure of tlhIngan Hol lends itself more toward a
> logo-syllabic writing system like that of Chinese or Akkadian. I'm still
> working on developing just such a pIqaD for the Warrior's Tongue. Any and
> all suggestions welcomed.
>
>
> quljIb
The problem with a Klingon syllabary is that there are too many
potential syllables. Unlike Cherokee with its 88 syllables,
there are over a thousand Klingon syllables:
Each of 21 consonants followed by each of five vowels in all
combinations, plus each of 21 consonants followed by each of
five vowels followed by each of 21 consonants in all possible
combinations, plus each of 21 consonants followed by each of
five vowels followed by {rgh}, plus each of 21 consonants
followed by each of three vowels followed by {w'}, plus each of
21 consonants followed by each of five vowels followed by {y'}.
If what you are describing is a syllabary, that is a LOT of
characters.
If what you are describing is merely some non-linear form of
wrapping a vowel around a consonant, etc. so that you really do
have separate characters for each letter of the alphabet, but
they happen to be contained in the same space, that is not so
wonderfully interesting. In essence, it is still a 26 character
alphabet.
charghwI' 'utlh