[tlhIngan Hol] hard truths about the future

[Will Martin]

It’s clear that you don’t consider me to be an expert. Same for the original Grammarian or any but one of the Beginners’ Grammarians, the head of the KLI, or all but one of the Friends of Maltz. Your remarkable interest in Okrand’s passing is, itself, both interesting and familiar. People have been salivating over taking over the language since the creation of this email list. I know. I’ve been on this list since it was created.

It’s like taking over the language were some kind of crown of fame and glory.

As people who are neither Dr. Marc Okrand nor Paramount, you or I can say whatever we like, but for now, it’s a non-existent problem, and Okrand or Paramount could sweep aside our suggestions on whim by presenting some other succession.

It might be better to take ourselves a little less seriously and just enjoy the language as it is and deal with the post-Okrandian Klingon language when we better understand the circumstances that brought us to that need for succession.

The language survived the end of the TV series and so far as I know the movie series. The fictional race may never be presented in media again, yet, here we are, as you say, coughing and spitting on each other.

Meanwhile, an individual who inarguably exhibits the most impressive expertise on Earth at use of the Klingon language will not own that language unless the population that wishes to continue to use it likes and trusts that person enough to follow that person’s advice, assuming that Okrand or Paramount hasn’t already declared some other person to be The New Okrand.

Likely, a new leader would be someone less interested in an arrogant claim at being better than everybody else than she or he is at helping others learn the language. Dr. Lawrence Schoen is certainly not an expert at the language as you would define it, but he’s certainly done more to create the population of its current speakers than anyone other than Dr. Marc Okrand. He’s certainly earned our respect for promoting the language, creating the body of Klingon literature and documented resources, creating a forum where grammarians interact with those interested in learning the language, and where we all could practice and build our skills.

Likely, you would not speak Klingon if not for Dr. Lawrence Schoen.

So, in terms of keeping the language going, I’m not that sure that your skills and SuStel’s skills necessarily ensure the survival of the language more than the skills that have quite creatively invented a peer reviewed scholarly journal, The Grammarian’s Desk publication series, this Email list, The Klingon Hamlet, the KLI with members, at one point, on every continent on the planet, etc.

It takes a village to raise a child. It probably takes cooperation of people with different skills to keep a language going after it is created. Okrand has repeatedly voiced fascination and wonder over how his little project grew to the accidental significance that it has achieved. The reason that happened is that even his expertise has been less significant than the cooperation of people with varied talents and interests in the spreading of the language.

You can’t decide to be President. You have to be elected. The election isn’t happening yet. Campaigning now is a bit odd.

One of the oddest features of The Klingon Language is its attraction to those who wish to take it over. For its entire history, this has been one of its features. It’s the most puzzling feature, from my perspective.

> On Dec 23, 2021, at 6:56 AM, mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> e
> 
> When that time comes, some will say: "We need to take over; the language must not remain stagnant. It needs to grow."
> 
> And I ask: What will be that which you will contribute?
> 
> Vocabulary? But already any intermediate level speaker can say anything he wants.
> 
> Grammar? Do you think you are capable to expand known grammar, or answer questions which even okrand himself chose never to clarify?
> 
> No. Your goals will be different:
> 
> 1. You will want your names to remain in the history of the language as the people who took over.
> 2. You will want to have the satisfaction of people asking you to grant them new vocabulary.
> 3. You will want to have even more opportunities to be employed as "experts", thus gaining an advantage over anyone else who wants the job, but isn't on the "committee".
> 
> .. Because why would a company hire anyone else, when it could hire those who create canon?
> 
> And because someone may wonder.. I've never used klingon financially, and I never will. To me klingon was never a means to earn money, and it never will be.
> 
> Now to avoid misunderstandings.. 1,2 and 3 aren't something bad. There's nothing wrong with someone wanting his name to be remembered, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be the leader in a group/community. And there certainly isn't something wrong in trying to increase your business opportunities. There's nothing wrong in capitalizing on something, and by saying "capitalize on" I mean "using something in order to help your carrier".
> 
> But I don't see why I should be someone accepting the authority of such a "committee". Am I obligated to act in order that some of the people on that committee achieve these goals? Because how would they achieve these goals if they never found anyone to accept their authority?
> 
> And there's another matter here which needs to be discussed: the very participation in such a "committee" of people using klingon professionaly, raises the question of objectivity in their choices.
> 
> But that will be explained in the next post.
> 
> t
> 
> < raptaH Hol 'e' wIchaw'be'nIS; latlh pab latlh mu'tay' je tu'nISlu'. vaj 'oqranD wIgheSnIS > jajvetlh jatlh 'op.
> 
> 'a DaH jIghel: < chay' Sughaq? >
> 
> mu'tay' chu' bochenmoH'a'? wejHa' Hoch neHbogh jatlhlaH Hoch laH ghIl Hol lo'wI'.
> 
> pab chu' bochenmoH'a'? wejHa' pab tu'lu'bogh boQIjchu''a'? not vay' QIjchu'pu'bogh 'oqranD boQIjqangchu''a'? laHvam boghaj 'e' boHar'a'?
> 
> pImchu' ngoQraj:
> 
> 1. 'oqranD lugheSpu'bogh nuv tlhIH net qaw boneH.
> 2. latlh mu'tay' luHevmeH 'op, tlhIH wuv 'opvam boneH.
> 3. tlhIHvaD nargh latlh malja' 'ebmey boneH. 'a yejvamDaq jeSbe'bogh nuvpu'vaD maybe' ghu'vam.
> 
> yejvam nuv wIvlaHchugh wa' malja', qatlh yejvam jeSbe'wI' qelnIS?
> 
> 'ej chaq SIvchoHmo' vay'.. not jIHvaD malja' 'oHpu' tlhIngan Hol'e', 'ej not malja' moj.
> 
> DaH vIyajHa'be'lu'meH, vay' vIQIjnIS: qabbe'bej 1,2,3 je. Daqawlu' DaneHchugh, ghomDaq DevwI' Damoj DaneHchugh, qabbe'. 'ej SoHvaD latlh malja' 'ebmey DanarghmoH DaneHchugh, qabbe'bej. 
> 
> 'a qatlh Sarvam yej woQ vIlajnIS? ngoQmeyvam chavmeH 'op, jIvangnIS'a'? 'ej chaq DaH yajbe'mo' vay', jIghel: < woQchaj lajqangbogh pagh'e' tu'lu'chugh, chay' ngoQmeychaj chav Sarvam yej nuvpu'? >
> 
> 'ej latlh qelnISlu'bogh tu'lu' je. Sarvam yejDaq jeSchugh vay', 'a ghaHvaD malja' 'oH je tlhIngan Hol'e', chay' wIvmeyDaj voqlaH latlhpu'? wuqtaHvIS Sarvam nuv/nuvpu', nuv/nuvpu'vam (lu)SIghbe'lu''a'?
> 
> 'a QIn veb Sojvam vIDIgh.
> 
> --
> Dana'an 
> https://sacredtextsinklingon.wordpress.com/
> Ζεὺς ἦν, Ζεὺς ἐστίν, Ζεὺς ἔσσεται· ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ
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