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@alcaco.net> wrote:
On Jul 11, 2017, at 3:26 PM, Lieven <levinius@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' _______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org