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From: nsn@mundil.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Nick NICHOLAS)
Subject: Re: Klingon Bible
Message-ID: <9428410.25667@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU>
Sender: news@cs.mu.OZ.AU
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
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Date: Tue, 11 Oct 1994 00:41:54 GMT
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jbm@newsserver.trl.oz.au (Jacques Guy) writes:
>donald@srd.bt.co.uk (Donald Fisk) writes:

>Next, Klingon has this rare property that morpheme boundaries are
>predictable from the phonology (a property which Loglan and Lojban
>made a thorough mess of implementing).

You mean, because of its CVC structure? I suppose. Not that Klingon has much
in the way of phonology as in phonological processes (you're telling me
there's going to be no place of artic. assimilation with all those rampant
retorflexes? Yeah right.) One bit that amused be is how the /rgh/ cluster
is handled. Trilled-r + velar voiced fricative is commonplace in Greek,
so to my delight, I find that, when Okrand was asked about this "difficult"
cluster, he made the r a good old retroflex approximant. (I guess that's a
lenition, huh.)

Lojban morphology is a tad baroque; of course, it's a mess they're stuck
with, and the language is still on balance way too cool...

>And finally, if you find Klingon sounds hard, you can always speak
>it with a heavy earthling accent. 

As does every single actor in Trek that's spoken Klingon --- when they
actually attempt to speak Klingon at all. Not that uvular affricate and
lateral affricate are *that* impossible, all things considered (it's
commendable that Timothy Miller included some implosives in his Ferengi,
and the *dental* sibilant fricative is consistent with how the Ferengi
"mispronounce" the English alveolar. I just hope he can wreak havoc with
some universals; then we'd have some fun working out how to make the language
communicative. Only obliques as relative clause heads, anyone?)

Momenton senpretende paseman mi retenis kaj#   NICK NICHOLAS.  Melbourne Uni,
   kultis kvazaux                          &   Australia. Now with moustache.
     senhorlogxan elizeon                  #nick_nicholas@muwayf.unimelb.edu.au
       (Dume:                              &  ->  nsn@krang.vis.mu.oz.au  <-
[Victor Sadler, _Memkritiko_ 90]           #      nsn@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au
