I would like to take this opportunity, to describe the reasons why I find transliteration to be wrong, and why it should be avoided "as the devil avoids incense", to use a greek proverb.. 1: Transliteration shows the inability of him who transliterates, to accept the simple fact, that vocabulary-wise, klingon will never be complete. He knows that there are words missing, so what does he do ? He makes them up.. Now, I don't care whether he just transliterates. The reality is that he makes words up. Its *exactly* the same, as me saying: During this post, I will be using for "transliteration" the "klingon" word "ghaghtoH". Wouldn't that disturb you ? Would you accept it ? So, why should *I* accept it, if someone wrote {tranSlIteratIon} ? It's *exactly* the same. The rules of the game are simple: We speak Emperor's klingon, Only the Emperor creates new vocabulary. So, if we find something missing we ask the Emperor. Plain and simple. If someone can't take the "heat" of missing vocabulary, then he needs to get out the kitchen.. 2: It is confusing.. The fact that a transliterated word seems reasonable/obvious to the mind of its creator, doesn't mean that it will seem reasonable, let alone understandable, to others too. Often, reading transliterated words, I need to pause, make a coffee, and think over coffee, what the jay' the transliterated word really stands for.. And I ask: Is it the reader's obligation to decipher anyone's crap ? Please *do* tell me. When you are writing something which others will read, it is YOUR OBLIGATION, to make it simple and understandable. It is YOUR OBLIGATION to follow the Emperor's rules. Which brings me to the third reason I hate transliteration.. 3: In greek we have the saying "while you are eating, you're working up an appetite".. Meaning, that even if you're unwilling (at first) to do something, once you start, you *will* develop an appetite for it, and you *will* be doing more and more.. Why not transliterate ? No big deal.. Then, why not just place a type-7 in a sao ? No problem.. Then why not crap on the -Daq rule too ? Again, if you're creating your own personal dialect, then by all means, knock yourself out. But if you're writing for others, then it is YOUR OBLIGATION to follow the rules, and like it. 4: Transliterating, hinders your progress. I mean, why bother learning grammar ? Why bother learning the proper rules, so that you will be able to correctly express yourself ? F*** the rules, f*** Ca'NoN, f*** everything. The solution is just a transliterated word away. 5: It is disrespectful to the people who went into all that trouble to teach you, if you willingly trample the rules. And it is disrespectful to our Emperor, defiling his language with words which aren't his. I believe firmly, that the more experience, a klingon student acquires, the more his obligation increases to: F-O-L-L-O-W T-H-E j-a-y-' R-U-L-E-S !!! Y--O-U ***W-I-L-L*** F-O-L-L-O-W T-H-E R-U-L-E-S, A-N-D L-I-K-E I-T !!! After all, that's what we're here for. ~ m. qunen'oS Ca'NoN holy Ca'NoN