tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jun 29 05:49:04 2004

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Re: Learning Klingon

ngabwI' ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Matthew Pennington" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 4:35 PM
Subject: Re: Learning Klingon


> In answer to the Beginning
> Grammarian's question of what language resources I have, I offer this:
>
> I've been a member of the KLI for a number of years now (I joined sometime
early on in High School
> and I just finished my first year of college).

{majQa'!}

>  I own everything printed in Klingon, except a few HolQeDmey. This
includes KGT
> and TKW. I don't remember off the top of my head which HolQeDmey I am
missing, but it is not more
> than seven. I own no audio tapes, for various reasons.

The audio tapes can be a great aid for hearing what Klingon is supposed to
sound like. (The shows are absolutely no help.) Power Klingon and
Conversational Klingon both have Marc Okrand (often abbreviated "MO" on this
list) speaking the Klingon bits. An excellent guide, and the second-best way
to train youor ear to hear Klingon. (Best is to attend a {qep'a'}, the
Annual Conference, held in Pheonix, Arizona this year. Details available on
the site.)

But you can still learn to read and write Klingon in the meantime.

> I would say, not knowing what other
> students of Klingon possess, that I have a fairly good collection of
language resources.

I would say that's an accurate assessment. }}: )

As for how to go from here, I would say the others on this list have it
about right: learn the verb prefixes and suffixes listed in TKD. These, I'm
afraid, must be learned by rote, and I found flashcards particularly useful
in this regard. Write the prefixes and suffixes on one side of the cards,
and the English equivalents on the other. The stack will be fairly small,
and isn't terribly likely to grow (I don't believe it has in 10 years) and
will take only a few minutes to get through each day. After that, you will
enter a "vocabulary aquisiton" phase. You will begin learning new verbs (and
nouns for that matter), and be able to piece together meanings based on the
verb's gloss (the "definition" in English) and your knowledge of the
affixes.

So, ready to try some Klingon? }}: )

--ngabwI'
Beginners' Grammarian
Klingon Language Institute
http://kli.org
HovpoH 701725.5

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