[421] in tlhIngan-Hol
Klingon pronunciation and tonogenesis.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Jan 5 17:36:43 1993
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Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: (Mark E. Shoulson) <shoulson@ctr.columbia.edu>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 16:34:13 -0500
In-Reply-To: Allan C. Wechsler's message of Mon, 4 Jan 1993 16:31-0500 <1993010
Yes, you're right that the ' syllables tend to be pronounced at higher
tone. It should be noted, however, that the tone is mentioned in TKD 1.3,
first para., as part of what happens when a syllable is stressed. You're
right that it's noteworthy that it seems to be happening more with '
syllables than others in the tape, though. Your point about tonogenesis is
also interesting, and I'd bet that some remote dialects of Klingon would
use tonal distinctions already.
I thought I heard a little tonal echo now and then; particularly I remember
it in the "tI/tI'" example in the beginning (while teaching "ghuy'cha'"),
but I could be mistaken. Try cranking the volume a bit, it's released,
but very soft.
One thing I noticed in the tape, upon re-reading archives of this list, was
an answer to a question we'd had regarding double-negatives ("I don't know
anything.": Should it be "pagh vISovbe'" or "pagh vISov"/"vay' vISovbe'").
In the customs dialogue (second?) the Terran is asked "Do you know anyone
here?" (naDev vay' DaSov'a'?) and answers "No, I don't know anyone here."
(ghobe'. naDev vay' vISovbe'). So at least we know that "vay' vISovbe'"
is permissible in such a case, though this does not preclude the other
possibilities.
It should be pointed out (in case you didn't already catch on), that
Okrand's speech, and grammar for that matter, were not flawless in the
tape, and I think we should have the right to say he was wrong now and
then. At one point, he distinctly says "tera'nang" instead of "tera'ngan",
his word-order in the Klingon's toast in the last dialogue is backwards
("'IwlIj jachjaj"), and his math for "twelve hundred hours" seems
inconsistent with the rest (seems to be twenty-one hundred hours: "cha'maH
wa'vatlh rep"). (The last is arguably correct, but conflicts with some
other usage in the tape, I think). OK, we've determined that Okrand's
human, not divine or even Klingon. This is no big deal, but it goes to
show you that a good project can (and should!) be able to get beyond you
now and then, not that Okrand's dealing with mysteries of the language we
haven't been introduced to yet. (Then again, in some cases I might be
inclined to speculate: is "maj" really an adjective with meaning antonymous
to "qab", similar to "QaQ", or did he just get confused with the
interjection?)
~mark
