What's a qepHom?

[Alan Anderson <alan@kli.org>]

Judith Hermans <J.P.J.Hermans@kub.nl> writes:
>>   I am planning to host a qepHom in the center of Europe!
>What is this exactly? Maybe I would like to come (find information for my
>thesis :-)

Briefly, a {qepHom} is a way for people to get together and talk about
the Klingon language, practice grammar and vocabulary with others, and
especially to enjoy Klingon as a *spoken* language.

First, a little vocabulary lesson:

The Klingon noun {qep} means "meeting".  The noun suffix {-'a'} has an
augmentive meaning, often translated as "great" or "major".  The noun
suffix {-Hom} is its diminutive counterpart, often translated "minor".

Second, a little history lesson:

Every year, the Klingon Language Institute holds a {qep'a'}, which is 
usually translated "convention" or "conference".  In the past, these 
have taken place near Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, US) during five days
in July.  Philadelphia is a fine location for people in the eastern 
United States, and it's not terribly far for people in the Midwest to 
travel to, but someone who lives on the west coast of North America 
has had to make a very long trip.  This year's {qep'a'} will be held 
in Las Vegas (Nevada, US), which is much closer to the west coast, and
which also offers unusually inexpensive airfare.  There is supposed to
be a web page with information about the upcoming {qep'a'} on the KLI 
web site </kli/qepa.html> (but the last time I took 
a look it was still talking about last year).

Now, to answer the question:

Because not everyone who wants to attend {qep'a'} is able to, the KLI 
encourages its members to host regional get-togethers.  They are given
the name {qepHom}, "minor meeting".  They are usually very informal 
sessions, often lasting a few hours on a weekend afternoon.  Some 
people plan them as a one-time event; others set up regular monthly 
(or even weekly) sessions.  There is even a virtual meeting, dubbed a 
{qepHey}, held online every month on the KLI's training MUSH.  More 
information about these {qepHommey} can be found on the KLI web site
</kli/qepHom.phtml> including a list of upcoming 
events and contact information for their hosts.

Finally, a postscript:

Anyone who is even slightly thinking about setting up a {qepHom} 
should view <http://www.netusa1.net/~caanders/host-qephom.html> for
hints and encouragement.

--
  Alan Anderson, professional programmer and amateur Klingonist
      qepHom coordinator for the Klingon Language Institute
qo'mey poSmoH Hol -- language opens worlds -- /