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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 11/25/2019 2:54 PM, Will Martin
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">1. If you
are so good at knowing what suffix follows what, then it shouldn’t
be so difficult for you to map out which numbered suffix it is.
You know most of the suffixes, and you know how many Types there
are (5 for nouns, 9 for verbs, plus rovers). Pull out a scrap of
paper and doodle them out. It’s not that hard.</blockquote>
<p>He's not complaining that he can't figure it out; he's
complaining that knowing the numbers isn't necessary to speaking
the language?<br>
</p>
<p>If you learn Klingon through Duolingo, for instance, you may not
even be aware that suffixes have numbers. You may know the
suffixes and their orders, but you didn't realize they were
numbered.</p>
<p>When I took that test, I had to do exactly what you said: I had
memorized the word <b>QaghHommeyHeylIjmo'</b> so that I would
have a map to noun suffixes, because I didn't think in terms of
numbers; I just felt which ones came first. To this day I can't
always rattle off noun suffix numbers without thinking about them.
Learning the numbers has little to do with speaking the language.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class="">2. Tests are arbitrary. ALL tests are arbitrary.
It’s okay for tests to be arbitrary. If you eliminate one
arbitrary part of a test, you’ll just have to replace it with
some other arbitrary thing that someone ELSE will object to. <br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>I object completely to everything you say in this paragraph.
Tests are not supposed to be arbitrary. Tests are supposed to
evaluate your knowledge and skill in the given subject. They
should be designed to expose the ability of the person taking
them. Being able to tell whether something is a type 1 or type 2
suffix is, as QIDwI' says, no different than someone being able to
define what a participle is to prove their ability to speak
English.</p>
<p>In this point, the KLI tests test knowledge of Klingon grammar,
not ability to use Klingon.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class="">3. Respect that the people who created these tests
did so voluntarily, putting in a lot of time and thought in to
what they sincerely thought would help people learn the language
well. Complaints like this don’t make them feel good about that
positive spirit they put into their sincere effort to give our
nerdy little society another helpful resource. Whine too much
about this sort of thing and we won’t have any tests, or Wikis
or Web sites or mailing lists, for that matter. Appreciate what
people do for you and for all of us. So, what resource have YOU
created from hours of your own work that you voluntarily offered
to the rest of us? Share with us how much you appreciate it when
someone complains about how poorly executed your effort was.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>So now you've implied that QIDwI' is disrespectful, whining, and
a layabout. C'mon. He's tried to present a respectful criticism,
and I for one think he has a point.<br>
</p>
<p>I happen to think that most anyone learning English as a second
language is going to learn more grammar than a native English
speaker, so someone being tested in English as a second language <i>would</i>
need to know the definition of a participle. A native speaker
wouldn't be tested in their ability to speak English, so the
ability to explain the grammar isn't tested anywhere except in an
English class that's teaching grammar.</p>
<p>So ultimately I see the inclusion of suffix numbers on the KLI
test as parallel to the inclusion of grammar rules in an
English-as-a-second-language test, so probably appropriate. But I
appreciate QIDwI''s point. I don't think testing on suffix numbers
is strictly <i>necessary.</i><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class="">4. If you are so naturally talented that you can
intuitively absorb the language and know all the suffixes in the
right order without learning the numbers of the suffix, then why
are you bothering to take the test?</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Now you're just being offensive. If you love the Klingon language
so much, why don't you marry it?<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class=""> A primary reason for creating the test is to give
people guidance about what to work on in order to learn the
language. If you just know the language like the back of your
hand, then you don’t need no stinkin’ test.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>If the KLI didn't hand out medals and certification levels for
passing those tests, then no, he wouldn't need to take them. But
it does, and students feel a certain pressure to prove themselves,
as you yourself admit to.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class="">I didn’t ask for a special pass on any part of the
test. I didn’t ask to be an exception because I was so special.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">And you shouldn’t, either.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>He's not asking for a special pass or to be an exception. He's
criticizing the content constructively. If you don't think his
criticism is valid — that is, if you have a reason why suffix
numbers <i>should</i> be taught, say so and have done. If not,
stop trying to beat him into submission.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:650FDC6B-555B-4426-9D57-7A615B3B4A7D@mac.com">
<div class="">Just do the extra work and pass the test, or don’t
do the work and skip the test. You’ll still be respected here as
a full member even if you don’t get to wear the cool little
pins.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>I don't see any respect coming from your post.<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
SuStel
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://trimboli.name">http://trimboli.name</a></pre>
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