[Tlhingan-hol] 2 letter language code for Klingon?

[David Trimboli]

From: ghunchu'wI' 'utlh [mailto:qunchuy at alcaco.net]
> 
> On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 2:30 PM, David Trimboli <david at trimboli.name>
> wrote:
> > "tlh" is *not* a Klingon letter. It is three lower-case Latin letters
> > forming a trigraph to represent a Klingon *sound*.
> 
> Fine, {tlh} is a Romanized equivalent of whatever single Klingon letter
> represents that sound. While I accept the distinction, I think that's a
> distinction without a difference. As Mr. Everson should know well, the
> Klingon glyph representing that sound *is* a single letter.

Leaving aside the question of whether TalkNow!'s use of KLI pIqaD makes it
official, "tlh" is not a Romanized equivalent of a Klingon letter. It is a
trigraph in a transcription system that was devised completely independently
of any knowledge of any Klingon writing system. "tlh" is a representation of
the *sound* of "tlh," not a rewriting of a Klingon symbol that represents
the sound of "tlh."

When I write {tlhIngan Hol}, I'm not converting Klingon writing into Latin
writing. I'm converting Klingon *sounds* into Latin writing. Klingon writing
never comes into it. The only reason the pIqaDHey that appears in TalkNow!
happens to be a phonemic representation of Klingon is because someone threw
together a writing system based on the transcription system.

> > There is a symbol that is
> > sometimes used to represent the sound of "tlh," but will never be more
> > than semi-official.
> 
> For better or worse, I think the use of that symbol in EuroTalk's "Talk
Now!
> Learn Klingon" program pushes it from semi-offical to truly official.

Do we have any way of knowing that Okrand vetted the Klingon writing? I'll
bet he didn't have anything to do with it. And in the fiction of Klingon as
a natural language, what part does TalkNow! play? Was it compiled by
Klingons or by Terrans? Was Maltz consulted? Could the Klingon writing be
some Federation linguist's *idea* of Klingon writing?

-- 
SuStel
http://www.trimboli.name/