If you're looking for a way to impress your Trekkies friends or just want to immerse yourself in the Star Trek universe, consider learning a few phrases in Klingon. Although it is not a "real" language in the traditional sense, it is still a real language, especially because it has its own grammar and structure. For informal use, you can focus your efforts on learning a few key phrases. If you want to learn more about the language, however, there are other resources available.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Key Phrases
Step 1. Make sure you pronounce the letters correctly in Klingon
In general, the language was meant to be spoken strongly and with guttural tones. Each letter has its own specific way of being expressed and it is necessary to study the exact pronunciation of each before being able to converse fully.
- The "a", the "b", the "e", the "j", the "l", the "m", the "n", the "p", the "t" and the lowercase "v" in Klingon they are all pronounced as in Italian.
- The lowercase "a" is pronounced like "ah"
- The lowercase "e" is pronounced with a short sound.
- The capital "I" is pronounced like the Italian "i".
- The lowercase "o" is pronounced like the closed Italian "o", as in the word "bottom".
- The capital "D" is pronounced similar to Italian, but you have to touch the top of the mouth with the tip of your tongue instead of touching your teeth, as you would in Italian.
- The capital "H" is a hard sound generated in the throat and resembles the letter "h" in the German word "Bach". It is a dull sound. Similarly, the sound "gh" is considered to be a single letter in Klingon. Produce it in the back of the throat as if it were a gargle. It looks like the "H" sound, but sonorous.
- The sound "ng" is treated as a single letter in Klingon but is pronounced like the "ng" in English, meaning clearly emitting the "n" and leaving the "g" in suspense.
- The lowercase "ch", "u" and "w" are pronounced as in English. Therefore, the "ch" is pronounced as in the Italian word "basket", the "w" as in the English word "why" and the "u" as in the English word "you".
- The lowercase "q" is similar to ours, but occurs in the back of the throat. The tongue should actually brush against the uvula or throat opening. The uppercase "Q", on the other hand, is similar to the lowercase "q" in Klingon, but must be immediately followed with the Klingon sound "H".
- The lowercase "r" is similar to the Italian counterpart, but slightly rolled up.
- The capital "S" is similar to the "sh" sound, but is produced by moving the tongue near the roof of the mouth rather than near the teeth.
- The sound "tlh" is treated as a single letter in Klingon. It starts as a "t", but you have to drop the tongue to the sides of the mouth instead of immediately down. From here, the "l" sound hisses.
- The lowercase "y" is pronounced like the English "y" at the beginning of a word, as in "you" or "yet".
- The apostrophe (') is treated as a letter in Klingon. This is the same sound produced in English for words starting with a vowel, such as "uh" or "ah". The sound is basically a soft pause in the throat. In Klingon, this can be used in the center of a word.
Step 2. Say hello to your Trekkies friends with a firm "nuqneH"
It is the equivalent of "Hello", but its literal translation is closer to "What do you want?".
Step 3. Answer the questions with "HIja", "HISlaH" or "ghobe"
The first two mean "Yes", the last "No".
Step 4. Express your understanding with "jIyaj"
Its literal translation is "I understand". Similarly, "jIyajbe" means "I don't understand".
Step 5. Express your approval with "maj" or "majQa"
The first means "Great!", The second "Well done!".
Step 6. Ask a Trekkie if he speaks Klingon with the question "tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a '"
Literally, it means "Do you speak Klingon?". If someone asks you but you are still unsure of your language skills, you can answer "tlhIngan Hol vIjatlhaHbe '", "I don't speak Klingon".
Step 7. Prove your honor by proudly stating "Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam", which means "Today is a good day to die" and is a phrase that has enormous value in Klingon culture
Step 8. Claim you are Klingon with a lit "tlhIngan maH
". This sentence translates to" We are Klingon. "Similarly, you can use" tlhIngan jIH "to simply state" I am a Klingon ".
Step 9. Ask where the bathroom is with the expression "nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'"
All races need time off to go to the bathroom from time to time, and Klingons are no exception. If you can't locate the closest restroom to you during a convention, you can ask a Klingon-speaking Trekkie this question. It means, in fact, "Where is the bathroom?".
Step 10. How to ask the time?
Thus: "arlogh Qoylu'pu '". It means "What time is it?", But, more literally, "How many times has it been heard?".
Step 11. Insult your enemies with "Hab SoSlI 'Quch", which means “Your mother has a smooth forehead
. Klingons are famous for the crests on their foreheads, and such a statement is considered a very strong insult.
Step 12. Prepare to attack enemies with "cha yIbaH qara'DI '"
Translated into Italian, this phrase means "Launch the torpedo!".
Step 13. If you want to know a good place to eat, ask "nuqDaq’ oH Qe’QaQ’e’"
The phrase translates as "Where is a good restaurant?".
Step 14. Ask if a chair is free with "quSDaq ba'lu'a '"
If you want to sit next to a Trekkie you have no formal acquaintance with, you can use this phrase, which means "Is this seat occupied?".
Step 15. You can also insult with the word "petaQ", which can also be spelled as "p'tahk", "pahtk", "pahtak" or "p'tak"
The term is a common insult with no direct translation, but roughly means "fool", "coward" or "person without honor". Use it to describe someone who does not have the Warrior Spirit.
Part 2 of 2: Learning the idiom in a detailed way
Step 1. Join a Klingon language group
The most reliable and well-known one is the Klingon Language Institute, but you can find other fan groups as well by searching the internet. Access the free information provided by these associations to determine if you are really interested in learning the language. Some of these organizations also offer official membership, which allows you to get more information and attend events.
Step 2. Listen to the language
After learning the alphabet and a few words, watch videos on the internet or buy CDs or DVDs recorded by Klingon experts. In this way, you can learn the language by following their example. Audio files will allow you to hear the correct pronunciation and video files will help you understand how to position your mouth in order to produce these sounds.
Step 3. Get a Klingon dictionary
You can buy it online or in a bookstore or download it for free from the web. A dictionary of this idiom will work like most other dictionaries. Almost all of them have both a section from Klingon to Italian and from Italian to Klingon, so you will be able to translate the terms and phrases in both verses.
Step 4. Download a Klingon font
While you can pronounce and read Klingon using the standard Latin alphabet, strictly speaking, there are separate characters that represent those transcribed letters and sounds. You can learn them online and in books dedicated to the Klingon language. Once you are comfortable with the new alphabet, you can download a font to use for any digital communications in Klingon you want to do.
Step 5. Read the texts written in Klingon
A good way to practice any language is to read a lot. You can download or purchase books, magazines, poems or short stories written in Klingon. Some of these books even include works previously elaborated in other languages, such as Shakespearean works.
