tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 12 07:39:59 2007
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Re: syllables
At 09:19 PM Tuesday 9/11/2007, naHqun wrote:
>So if I'm not mistakin, Klingon syllables are CVC or CV, period.
>There are no VC syllables (besides -oy).
>Does this mean that {tlhIngan} is split tlhI-ngan and not tlhIng-an?
This is evidence of elision. Presumably the original form was
*{tlhIngngan} - i.e. {tlhIng + ngan} "inhabitant of Kling" - which came to
be pronounced as {tlhIngan} with a single /ng/. Okrand discussed these
elided forms of gentilics in KGT (p. 141):
A name for the inhabitant of a planet (and therefore the name of a race
of beings) is formed by adding {ngan} (inhabitant) to the planet name
(excluding the number, if any): {lIghonngan} (Ligonian), {tera'ngan}
(Earther, Terran), {romuluSngan} (Romulan). (Actually, there is some
phonetic variation here. "Ligonian" is often pronounced {lIghongan},
dropping the final {n} of {lIghon} before the initial {ng} of {ngan}.
This is not considered an error, only an alternate pronunciation.)
Other examples are {vulqangan} "Vulcan", {'orghengan} "Organian", and
possibly {verengan} "Ferengi".
FYI: According to the _Star Trek Encyclopedia_, Kling is a "district or
city on the Klingon Homeworld. The renegade Korris spoke disparagingly of
'the traitors of Kling.' (Heart of Glory [TNG]) At the time the episode was
written, Kling was intended as the name of the Klingon homeworld. Once the
episode was filmed, it was realized that the name sounded pretty silly, so
later scripts simply referred to 'the Homeworld.' The Homeworld was finally
given a name in ST6, when it was called {Qo'noS}, pronounced
Kronos." Okrand gave us {tlhIng yoS} "Kling District" on the BoP Poster:
tlhIngan juHqo'Daq tlhIng yoSDaq 'oH toQDuj chenmoHlu'meH Daq wa'DIch'e'
1st Construction Site: The Kling District, Klingon Home World.
I would bet that if a Klingon were speaking v-e-r-y slowly and carefully -
say, to an automated voice mail system - you would hear that second
/ng/: {tlhIngngan} with a long or doubled /ng/ or {tlhIng-ngan} with a
slight pause.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons