tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 30 07:19:55 2006

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writing systems for Klingon

MorphemeAddict ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol taghwI']

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In a message dated 1/30/2006 8:31:07 AM Central Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:


> > When you say "Klingon alphabet", do you mean the glyphs used as set
> > dressing on Star Trek?
> >
> 
> This is indeed what I meant. However, I came to understand that I should
> have asked for a pIqaD version instead, that I will produce out of the
> romanized version.
> 
> > Realize that the "plain text" version will already be a perfect
> > phonetic representation.  The ASCII-compatible writing system we use
> > is a direct mapping of phonems to symbols.
> >
> 
> Yes. Somehow, the fact that piQaD is not ANSI-ed means that Klingon is one
> of the few language which is not learnt in its own alphabet?
> 



There are at least five writing systems in which Klingon might appear.
1.  pIqaD.  This is the native Klingon writing system mentioned in TKD and 
which we know virtually nothing about.  We simply don't have Klingon's "own 
alphabet".  Were Klingon to be found in this writing system, it would create a 
major stir among us, I believe.
2.  "pIqaD" or pseudo-pIqaD.  This is the closest we have to a Klingon 
writing system, but it was created by a Terran for Klingon.  It is widely used in 
fan materials, but is seldom seen otherwise.  It is well suited to writing 
Klingon as we know it.
3.  other alphabetic systems.  There are two main versions of these.  Neither 
is used much anymore.  They are a mapping to English letters, not Klingon 
sounds, hence they are not well suited to writing Klingon.
4.  Star Trek glyphs.  This is a set of ten symbols resembling some of those 
in group 1 above.  They are often seen on Star Trek and are used there only 
for their alien appearance.  They are also the Klingon writing on the Skybox 
cards, where each symbol can have from one to four phonetic readings, but even 
there the readings are based on the English alphabet rather than Klingon 
phonetics.  
5.  The transcription scheme based on the English alphabet.  This is the only 
'official' way of writing Klingon, coming as it does from the Federation 
linguist whose informant was the Klingon captive Maltz.  It is the only system in 
which mainstream materials (TKD, TKW, KGT, {Hamlet}, {ghIlghameS}, and 
{paghmo' tIn mIS}) are printed.

lay'tel SIvten

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