tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Sep 24 12:58:47 2004

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Re: De'wI'wIj vIngu'; pagh vIngu''a'? (Re: Skype

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

DloraH:
> > I notice that a lot of people forget the word "beings".
> > My dictionary says "beings capable of using language".  That rules out
> > computers and such.

Quvar:
>There we come back to the TNG episode "The measure of a man" where they had
>a big discussion if Data is a machine that belongs to starfleet or if he is
>a being with his own rights.

True.  But this episode was about Data's legal status within 
Starfleet.  Although the episode did present similar arguments to this 
whole "talking computers" thread, it is irrelevant to the Klingon language.

However, Worf's attitude to Data might be instructive.  Did Worf ever refer 
to Data as "it" or did he avoid the issue by using Data's name instead of a 
pronoun?

>But a computer is a "thing", not a "being", that's right. Canon is very
>clear on that.

I agee.  But this whole "talking computer" thread may well be moot.  IIRC 
we've never seen (or rather heard) a Klingon computer that 
speaks.  Federation and Starfleet computers use a voice interphase, but 
whenever we've seen Klingons use Klingon computers, they invariably use a 
keyboard or other control panel.  If you remember the scene in ST3, Torg 
reported to Kruge that the Enterprise was deserted but that the computer on 
the bridge was talking.  My take on his body language and expression was 
that he found the whole idea bizarre.

The idea of a machine capable of using language may well be a non-issue on 
Kronos.  Klingons may feel that conversing with a machine is just creepy.



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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