Pronouncing Klingon ... That's The Easy Part! - Consonants, Part 4

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And here, we come to the final four sounds of Klingon: the consonants v, w, y and the glottal stop '.

Where Is The Letter F?

Where is the letter F in tlhIngan Hol? The answer is: there isn't one. tlhIngan Hol was written without a letter f; in loan words with an f, use the Klingon v sound instead.

v

Klingon v is pronounced like the English vixen, venom and virulent -only with the customary extra force you must be getting used to by now. Think of the words voiced with added venom, and you get the drift.

Klingon v is also used as a substitute for the letter f in numerous loan words, such as verengan Ferengi and wo'rIv Worf.

w

Klingon w is fairly straightforward; pronounce it as in the English whisper and watch.

y

Klingon y is also fairly straightforward; pronounce it as in the English yodel and yell.

'

The ' character does not, in itself, represent a sound, but rather a cessation of sound. ' represents an interruption of sound; an sbruptness to the pattern of speech.

As with all Klingon characters, the presence of a ' is significant: paw and paw' are completely different words (they read as arrive (v) and collide (v) respectively). paw is also pronounced as in the Vulcan name T'Pau, by the way.

Let's Put It All Together

Let's try out the sounds you have learned now, beginning with Klingon Teachings, the title of this blog:-

tlhIngan paQDI'norgh

And now, try out your new-found knowledge on these challenging words:-

be'	(n)	woman, female
be'Hom	(n)	girl
be'nal	(n)	wife
be'nI'	(n)	sister
ghu'	(n)	situation
loDnI'	(n)	brother
nuv	(n)	person (humanoid)
roghvaH	(n)	population
vay'	(n)	somebody, someone, something, anybody, anyone, anything
voDleH	(n)	emperor
wIy	(n)	tactical display (on monitor)
wo'	(n)	empire
'ay'	(n)	section, part, component, piece
'Iw	(n)	blood
'u'	(n)	universe
ba’	(v)	sit
chaw’	(v)	allow, permit
chu’	(v)	engage, activate (a device)
ghov	(v)	recognize
HIv	(v)	attack
jaw	(v)	chat
ja'	(v)	tell, report
Qoy	(v)	hear
ra'	(v)	command, order
ta’	(v)	accomplish
tIv	(v)	enjoy
van	(v)	salute
wIv	(v)	choose, select
woD	(v)	throw away
woH	(v)	pick up
’ur	(v)	treason, commit treason

Closing Notes

These are all the sounds of Klingon you are ever going to have to learn. Once you have learned, them, you will be able to speak tlhIngan Hol with great power - which is, in the end, the most authentic Klingon accent you can have, regardless of whether your uttered words have a Welsh lilt or a Texas twang.

As for what words you would like to say, the structures of sentences and the meaning - that is the subject of the rest of this blog.

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