tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri May 23 10:20:41 2003
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Transcribing names
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Transcribing names
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 11:16:47 -0400
In transcribing names, you mustn't worry too much about whether you're adding extra vowels or not. There's so much consonantal variation that it's all pretty different. We might be fooled into thinking that the sounds are the same, but they're not.
My name, for instance, may clearly be transcribed into Klingon as /DeyvID/. However, those D's are NOT the same d's I use when saying my name in English. I don't use a retroflex when saying my name normally! /DeyvID/ is merely an approximation of the correct pronunciation of my name.
Don't look for "the one, true way" of name transcription. Don't worry too much about what the "official" pronunciation of non-Klingon names in Klingon is. So what if a SkyBox card used /jan luq/ for "Jean-Luc"? That's a Klingon approximation, not the true pronunciation. If another Klingon heard /Son luq/, is he wrong? No.
The most a "canon" Klingon transcription of a non-Klingon name can tell us is how a Klingon heard the name and attempted to reproduce it. It is not something which should be adhered to unwaveringly.
On the other hand, Klingon names like /wo'rIv/ are likely the exact pronunciation, and English approximations like "Worf" are the ones that are incorrect. You should make an effort to get the Klingon names right.
On the third hand, if you've got one, list members are free to choose any name they like, whether it follows Klingon sounds and syllables correctly or not. You are the master of your own name.
SuStel
Stardate 3391.1