it is true that we are the people who invented the term of canon and
definied that it's all spoken or written by Okrand. Marc Okrand
sometimes makes a small mistake while speaking Klingon, and thn
immediately says "oh no, that's not a word". But if somebody asks "What
is the word for X?" and he answers with an entire email explaining the
word, it can definitely be seen as a canon word, such as happened with
the word {wI'qIy}. Saying that this word should not be in the list
because it's a borrowed word, would eliminate many others, like the
country names, food names and several animals.
Voragh has reposted the note. Okrand didn't send an entire email explaining the word; he sent a paragraph describing how Klingon doesn't have its own word for wiki, but transliterates the word we're familiar with. (He's probably playing off the idea that wiki isn't an English word either, but a transliteration of a Hawaiian word, but in English it has become a word of computer jargon.)
I haven't opined on whether wI'qIy or qabpaq should be on the new words list, but I did point out already that all of our word lists, including Okrand's own, are inconsistent in the treatment of proper nouns. Excluding wI'qIy or qabpaq doesn't necessarily force the exclusion of, say, 'epIl naH or DoyIchlan.
The problem lies in the question of what the purpose of these lists is. Is it to catalog every canonical word? Then all lists are woefully inadequate. Where is the name Qugh on any of these lists? Why do the names torgh and matlh appear on the KLI list but not Qugh or vIqSIS? Or is the point of the list to provide a list of actual Klingon words? Then none of these names belong.
Neither the KLI nor Okrand has ever been particularly careful
about defining what should go in a list. This is something
dictionary compilers have to deal with all the time. Sure, a word
is known in the general population, but does everyone consider it
a lexicalizable word or just a transitory one? Is it something
formally recognized by grammarians or just something that pops up
now and then? Language is messy and doesn't lend itself to easy
categories.
Talking about {qabpaq}, we may sure argue if that word makes sense
because this was only a personal message to somebody, but still, MO did
use the word. In addition, this is not really a new words, it's a
compound noun that we should use.
There's yer problem right there. "Should use." Okrand did not
prescribe the use of wI'qIy; he said it's just a
Klingon pronunciation of a Federation thing that Klingons use from
time to time. Okrand is describing, not prescribing.
If Okrand uses a word, and even writes it down, it surely is canon.
That's what we decided many years agom.
Yes, but "canon" does not mean "should use." He gave us a very specific and emphatic warning that wI'qIy is not a Klingon word, but a Klingon pronunciation of an English word.
Again, I have not opined on whether these words should be
included in the word list; I am only interested in more clearly
defining the issue.
-- SuStel http://trimboli.name