Huruf Klingon

Klingon (tlhIngan Hol)

Klingon is the language spoken by Klingons, alien characters in the Star Trek films and TV series. In the 1984 film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the director, Leonard Nimoy, and the writer-producer, Harve Bennett, wanted the Klingons to speak a real-sounding language rather than gibberish, so they commissioned the linguist Marc Okrand to create Klingon.

Okrand based the language partly on Klingon phrases made up by James Doohan (Scotty) for the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and developed a grammar and more extensive vocabulary. Aspects of Klingon language and culture were further developed for the 1987 series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and later series.

To make Klingon sound alien consonants and combinations of consonants, particularly retroflex, velar and uvular ones, uncommon in natural languages are used, such as /q͡χ/.

There is a Klingon dictionary and a number of Klingon courses, and Klingon versions of two Shakespeare plays: Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing (paghmo' tIn mIS), and also of Gilgamesh (ghIlghameS) and the Tao Te Ching (pIn'a' qan paQDI'norgh). A journal entitled HolQeD (Klingon for linguistics), which conains articles on Klingon linguistics, language and culture, is published by the Klingon Language Institute (KLI). The KLI also publishes jatmey ("scattered tongues"), a magazine featuring poetry and fiction in and about Klingon, as well as running an annual conference or qep'a ("great meeting").

There are a small number of people able to converse in Klingon, and maybe several hundred others who have some knowledge of the language.

Klingon alphabet (tlhIngan pIqaD)

The Astra Image Corporation designed letters to represent Klingon writing for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and based them on symbols created by Matt Jefferies which appear on the Klingon battlecruiser in the film, and also on the Tibetan script. Random Klingon letters are used in the Star Trek films and TV series for effect, and Klingon enthusiasts have devised a way of writing Klingon with them, though Klingon is generally written with the Latin alphabet.

a 

[a] Like the "a" sound in English "father." Never like in "acid" (American pronunciation). 

b 

[b] Like in English "bob" or "playbill." 

ch

[ʧ] Like in English "chew" or "chocolate."

D 
[ɖ] Not quite like the English "d" sound. Touch the tip of your tongue to the very top of your mouth, the highest point on your palate, instead of near the teeth like for an English "d." Then do the same thing you'd do to make a "d." 

e 

[ɛ] Like the "e" in English "bed." 

gh 

[ɣ] A gargled sound, at the back of the throat. Like the Klingon H, only voiced. It's very much like the French gargled "r."

H

[x] A harsh sound in the throat, found in German (as in "Bach") or the Hebrew toast "l'chayim." Make sure you pronounce this harshly and unvoiced.

I

[ɪ] Like the "i" sound in English "bit."

j

[ʤ] Like the "j" in English "junk." Never like in French "jour."

l

[l] Like in English "lunch."

m

[m] Like in English "mother."

n

[n] Like in English "nose" or "any."

ng

[ŋ] The same sound as occurs at the end of English "thing," only in Klingon it can also come at the beginnings of words. Be careful when starting a word or syllable with this sound. It's against the rules of English, and it may take some practice.

o

[o] Like in English "note" or "mosaic." As with other letters, don't get distracted by English words spelled with the same letters. The Klingon word not sounds like English "note," not like "not" (which in Klingon lettering would be spelled nat).

p

[pʰ] Like in English "pipe" or "pop." Pronounce it with a puff of air.

q

[q] A little like English "k," but not really. This sound is to be made as far back in your mouth as possible, with the back of your tongue actually touching your uvula (the fleshy blob that hangs down over your throat). It sounds a little like you're choking.

Q

[qχ] A little like a Klingon q immediately followed by a Klingon H. Close off your mouth as far back as you can, like with q, and force air up, like you're trying to dislodge food stuck in your throat. It sounds a lot like you're choking.

r

[r] A lightly trilled or rolled "r." If you can't trill with the tip of your tongue, just do a flap (or even a regular English r will be understood), but don't gargle the "r," or it'll sound like a gh. Note that your friendly sound-pronouncer for these pages does a rotten job of rolling r's. Don't let that stop you from doing it right, nor should you worry about not doing it perfectly. Notably, Marc Okrand, the creator of the language, doesn't roll his r's consistently on the audio tapes he made. Also, be careful not to let the r "overshadow" nearby vowels. Klingon syllables mIr, mer, mur sound approximately like English "mere, mare, moor"; none of them rhyme with English "fur".

S

[ʂ] A sound somewhat like an English "sh," but made farther back. Put your tongue where you did for the Klingon D, but don't quite touch the roof of your mouth. Make an "s" sound with your tongue up there.

t

[tʰ] Like English "t" in "tip." Pronounce it powerfully, with a puff of air.

tlh

[tˡɬ] This is a tough one to describe. Put your tongue in position to say a "t," but instead of pulling the tip of your tongue away from your palate, drop the sides, sort of like what happens near the end of the word "waddle" in English. This should leave you in position to say an "l," but make sure you don't use your voice: whisper the "l"; hiss it out between your teeth. The dropping of the sides of your tongue should be done forcefully; this is another spitter.

u

[u] Like in English "prune" or "fool."

v

[v] Like in English "vicious."

w

[w] Like in English "wisdom." Sometimes this sound will follow an a, an e, or an I, yielding:

aw, rhyming with English "cow."

ew, not like anything in English. Basically the "e" in "bed" run into a "w." A good way to get to this is to think of Elmer Fudd saying "tewwible."

Iw, also unlike anything in English. Again, it's like the "i" in "bit" run into a "w." It's close to "Eww!" the expression of disgust.

y

[j] Like in English "yet." This sound, like w, forms diphthongs:

ay, rhyming with English "why."

ey, rhyming with English "may" (Note: The Klingon word may, of course, sounds like English "my." See above).

Iy, rhyming with English "key."

oy, rhyming with English "boy."

uy, sort of like English "gooey," but not quite. It's one syllable, while "gooey" is two. Think of English "Do you" and drop off the last vowel sound.

‘

[ʔ] A sound we use in English, but don't consider a sound. It's the catch in the throat we put in the beginnings of words that start with vowels, or in phrases like "uh-oh." In Klingon, it can also come at the ends of syllables, where it has to be pronounced carefully (e.g. the words tI and tI' have very different meanings). This one takes practice to get right in all positions.

Sample text in Klingon

tlhIngan Hol yejHaD jInmol chu' 'oH Qo'noS QonoS'e'. tlhIngan Hol jatlhwI'pu'vaD wIcherpu'. naDev vuDmey Daj lutmey Sagh je DalaDlaH, 'ach tlhIngan Hol DayajnIS. Hoch jar chovnatlh chu' wImuch. yIlaD. yIqeq. tugh bIpo'choH.
 

Translation

The Kronos Chronicle is a new project of the Klingon Language Institute, intended for Klingon speakers. Here you can read interesting opinons and articles, but only if you can understand Klingon. Each month we will have a new issue for you to read and practice your skill.

Sample text in Klingon in pIqaD


 

Transliteration

noH QapmeH wo' Qaw'lu'chugh yay chavbe'lu', 'ej wo' choqmeH may' DoHlu'chugh lujbe'lu'
 

Translation
 
Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat.

Number in Klingon

The basic numbers 1–9 may take a number-forming element to form a higher number such as wa’­vatlh (one hundred) or cha’­vatlh wej­maH loS (two hundred thirty four). When a number is used to modify a noun, that noun does not have to take a plural suffix (it is never mandatory, and plurality in clearly indicated anyway).

Numbers preceding a noun it is used for counting (e.g. cha’ Duj two vessels), numbers following is used for numbering (e.g. Duj cha’ vessel number two). Numbers may also stand alone and serve as nouns in their own right (e.g wa’ yI­HoH Kill one (of them)!).

When -DIch is used it always follows the noun in modifies (e.g. Duj cha’­DIch second vessel).

Adding -logh turns the number into an adverbial that is placed in front of the entire object–verb–subject construction (e.g wa’­logh qa­legh I saw you once). If the object noun is topicalized with -’e’, the number of repetitions may instead come between the object and the verb (e.g. yaS­’e’ cha’­logh Da­bach­pu’ You shot the OFFICER twice).

Source :

omniglot.com  
www.kli.org  
klingonska.org