[tlhIngan Hol] The pronunciation of {Q}

[mayqel qunenoS]

kechpaja:
>  if I remember correctly, your native language is Greek

correct !

kechpaja:
> if I remember correctly, your native
> language is Greek (correct me if I'm wrong on that?), which has a sound
> similar to [χ] ([x], which confusingly is written as <χ> in the Greek
> alphabet) and a sound similar to [q] ([k]), but usually doesn't put
> those two sounds together at the beginning or end of a word the way
> Klingon does. On the other hand, both in Greek and in English, the
> cluster /kr/ is very common at the beginning of a word, leading a native
> speaker of either language to more naturally assume that that's what
> they are hearing, rather than [qχ].

This is a truly wonderful explanation. Perhaps this is indeed the
explanation of my confusion with regards to the {Q}.

lieven:
> Actually, hearing the r in the Q sound is not so far off. Note that most of the
> English versions on Q-names start with Kr,  so it was surely Okrands intention
> and also a linguistic basis to have those sounds resembling. But indeed, in
> Klingon, you don't say {qr}.
> Qaj - Kradge
> Qel - Krell
> Qugh - Kruge
> Qotmagh - Krotmag
> Qo'noS - Kronos

And here lies the additional problem; As if things weren't already
confusing enough, we have the english translations, all translating
the {Q} as "kr". As a result, it is so easy to get the impression that
its correct sound is "kr" instead of [qχ].

And because I usually encountered the {Q} at the translations of
klingon names, for a while I was under the impression, that when it
came to names some special pronunciation rules of {Q} applied,
compared to its pronunciation in other words.

Anyway, Do', DaH, vIt vIyaj.

qunnoq

On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 3:22 AM, ghunchu'wI' 'utlh <qunchuy at alcaco.net> wrote:
>> On Jul 11, 2017, at 3:26 PM, Lieven <levinius at gmx.de> wrote:
>>
>> a) You can easily describe {Q} in Klingon as {q} + {H}.
>
> You *can*, but you would be describing the sound inaccurately. {H} is velar; {Q} is uvular.
>
> -- ghunchu'wI'
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