[Tlhingan-hol] Proof that Klingon isn't just a few stock phrases.

[De'vID]

On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 11:34 AM, BT Yahoo! <a.appleyard at btinternet.com> wrote:
> Which books list canon Klingon vocabulary (including their ISBN numbers)?

Lieven has complied a comprehensive list here:
http://www.qephom.de/e/books.html

> It would be useful if all canon Klingon vocabulary could be gathered into one new dictionary.

Actually, multiple people have done this. Zrajm (klingonska.org) and
Lieven (qepHom.de) both have printed dictionaries with relatively
up-to-date vocabulary. The problem with print dictionaries is that
they can't be edited to include each latest revelation. qurgh runs the
Hol 'ampaS web site (http://hol.kag.org/) which I think has up to date
vocabulary. I also have an app called boQwI' on Android which is up to
date, as far as I know.

Unfortunately, there is unlikely to be an official (coming from
CBS/Paramount) printed dictionary including all of the new words,
because from an economic perspective there really isn't a demand for
one. Most people who buy the Klingon Dictionary just want to learn a
few phrases, and the existing TKD is sufficient for that. Those of us
who actually care about new words already know what they are, and we
make up such a small fraction of TKD buyers that it's not worth
anyone's time to update that book for us.

> As regards discussing general matters, in my old active period I noticed that canon Klingon vocabulary is largely a spacemen's language, resulting in such as:-
> * No word for ground vehicles, so members had to use {Duj} = "ship" to mean "car".

{puH Duj} for "car" is official. We also have words for bus, taxi, and
train: {lupwI'}, {ra'wI' lupwI'}, and {lupwI' mIr}, respectively.

> * No word for "sun", so members had to use "star" instead.

{jul} is the word for "sun". Although, there's nothing wrong with
referring to the Sun as "the star", since that's what it is.

> * The word {jabbI'ID}, used once only in Star Trek, to mean "data transmission" is used abundantly to mean "email message".

We do have {QIn} for message, though no terminology for email specifically.

> * The story book 'Kahless' had to invent Klingon words for various non-space matters (musical instruments, "minn'hor" for an ox-like wild and domestic Qo'noSian animal used to pull the cart and the plough in pre-industrial times.)

Star Trek authors would be making up Klingon words whether (Okrandian)
canonical words for the same things existed or not.

-- 
De'vID