[398] in tlhIngan-Hol
naDev jIH
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Oct 13 15:41:08 1992
Errors-To: tlhIngan-Hol-request@village.boston.ma.us
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: mark <mark@dragonsys.COM>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 14:33:08 EST
[I have been trying to post to this list for months, but our
stupid mailer can't find village.boston.ma.us via the InterNet.
Let's try yet again...]
naDev jIH.
How does a Klingon say hello? Though charming, "nuqneH" makes
sense only when spoken to someone who has approached you,
whether in person or by some communication device: it
presupposes that the addressee has invited your attention. But
I am the one making this approach. Though we often act as
though list communication were interactive, you can't "see" me
until I announce my presence (except for the keeper of the
mailing list). So: How does a Klingon say hello WHEN
INITIATING CONTACT? My solution is: naDev jIH.
My name is Mark Mandel. I'm writing in English because I'm
seriously studying Japanese, and I don't dare study Klingon hard
enough to learn to write in it lest I confuse the two; and because
I'm an impatient linguist eager to get into discussion. Late last
year on the LINGUIST (email) mailing list I saw ACW's review of
the Dictionary. I mentioned it at home, and my daughter said,
"Oh, I've got that!" jIQuchpu'! And so it began...
Last December, at a BBS that I frequent, a character called Dr.
Whom brought a Klingon into the bar, starting an exchange that
went on for something over a dozen messages. The timing suggests
that "Dr. Whom" also saw ACW's review; he says he's been watching
this group but not participating, for "professional reasons".
(Hi, Doc!) He used a transcription based on Okrand's, but not
requiring capital letters: Q->qh, H->kh, I->i, D->d, S->s (in
the first postings) or sh (later on). That leaves capitals free
for names, sentence beginnings, and shouting, as in English. I
like that. At Boskone, a macro-Boston area SF convention in
January, I wore a button saying "Tlhingan khol daghojbe'chugh
vaj bikhegh!" Ghitlhpatvetlhvad vudraj nuq?
ghItlhpatvetlhvaD vuDraj nuq?
By the way, to partially answer a question ACW raised in his
review of the Dictionary: "tlh" can't be written as "tl" because
"tl" can occur at syllable boundary. Compare:
botlaH 'he can prevent it'
botlhap 'you(pl.) take it'
Mark A. Mandel
Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 965-7670
320 Nevada St. : Newton, Mass. 02160, USA
