Due Date: Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
______________________________________________
Please post your comments about the Klingon language (another "planned language," next to Esperanto....) on this blog!
Prompt was on Livetext. Here's the reading again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
22 comments:
I really liked that article because I have heard of Klingon language but I have not learned about it. I do not know any Klingon and neither do any of my friends but I do know fans of Star Trek. I am a Star Wars fan but if I were a Star Trek fan I would probably want to learn some Klingon. I think it would be fun but probably hard. I thought it was interested that Klingon is such a complex and difficult language to learn. It is surprising that Klingon and Esperanto have so much in common. However, I think I personally would want to learn Klingon over Esperanto.
I found the sense of desperation that the author opened and closed this article with amusing. He said something about our society; the exorbitant budget of a gadgetry-laden Hollywood vision, cemented by TV fame, may most certainly overtake the idealistic dream of people taking it upon themselves to learn an invented language so that they may communicate with foreign counterparts on a neutral basis any day. I think he asserted so correctly, as least if Ms. Stute's comment that she, ". . . personally would want to learn Klingon over Esperanto," is any indication. That strikes me as hilarious, seeing that Klingon culture has formed an echelon for classic computer-programming, thick-glasses-wearing, calculator-toting geeks with "nothing better to do". It seems that that archetype presents itself enough in popular media -- e.g. films such as "Weird Science" and "Sixteen Candles", even Kanye West's argyle sweaters and horn-rimmed glasses -- that even it beats out the practical, intellectual goal of cross-cultural, non-proprietary communication and equity that Esperanto represents. I echo the author's despair.
I have never heard of the Klingon language. I am not a Star Trek fan, but it is stated to be the language of T.V. I watch T.V. and still have never heard of it. The man who created the camp and became famous was funny though. I didn't really care for this article and I couldn't relate to it.
I found the article on Klingon to be very amusing. I have never watched Star Trek before, but this article may of actually sparked an interest for me to watch it for once. The fact that thousands of Star Trek followers are devoting so much time and energy to this language says a lot about the culture of society. When a popular slang like Klingon is being translated into the Bible, one of the worlds most popular books, there is something to be said about the impact that it can have. When compared Esperanto, a language that is meant to open the waves of communication between societies, Klingon is the clear victor. I feel that it’s a shame that Esperanto can not have such popularity as Klingon. Maybe if a famous movie portrayed Esperanto, like the author states, more people would take an interest.
I really like reading this article. I have never been into Star Wars, therefore I have never heard of Klingon. I have always known that there are millions of Star Trek fans, but never knew a language existed. I found it so interesting the amount of time and thought that went into Klingon. When comparing Klingon to Esperanto, I feel that Klingon had the advantage of being in a very well-known movie. Esperanto, I believe could have the same impact if it too had help from Hollywood.
I am without words right now. Honestly, I cannot comprehend the thoughts that these people who speak Klingon are thinking. To be a fan of a TV show is one thing, but to devote an entire language and quite possibly a way of life is borderline insanity.
This reminds me of how some obscene cults and radical groups are formed. I am not saying that this type of language will evolve and become accepted as a language, but it could lead to bigger and maybe even scarier things. I did not care for this article at all. In fact I feel very sorry for the people who devote time to something like this. They should have spent more time outside playing or socializing with society than watching television.
I must agree with Chris on this article, at least partially. I don’t understand why anyone would want to spend so much time learning a language that doesn’t have a purpose. The article doesn’t even make an argument about the academic or cultural value of learning this language. There are many languages used throughout the world. Learning one of these languages could enable one to provide assistance to someone. Learning a foreign language should open up communication between two cultural groups. There is no one who only speaks Klingon. Learning this language does not help an impoverished child or resolve a conflict between nations. It only humors those who watch a certain television show.
Knowing how big Star Trek is without ever being much of a fan- though I do dig Patrick Stuart as Jean Luc Picard- I am really not surprised with how serious people are about making Klingon a legitimate language.
Athletes and movie stars no longer have the regional power they once did; nerds control everything now. Just ask Bill Gates or Steve jobs. If the Trekkie nerds put their minds together to do something, they are an unstoppable force, probably more powerful than the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard combined ( I'll leave out the Marines).
I fully expect Klingon to surpass Spanish as our nation's second language, and one day, pass English as our country's main language.
I have heard of the Klingon language even though I am not a Star Trek fan. I really do not understand why someone would want to make a language that has no real purpose at all.
I'd never heard of the Klingon language. I do know about Star Trek though, but had never associated the two together. I do think the languages have different purposes because one entertains while the other one doesn't. But they are related because they both incorporate other languages which makes them interesting and valuable. I think these languages are fascinating even if they both had different purposes when they were created.
I have never heard of Klingon language, except on Star Trek. I do not think I would be interested in learning Klingon language. The article said it was much more difficult to learn than Esperanto because of the unusual sounds and words. I had a difficult time with Spanish. It was really hard for me to trill my r's and other words. Personally, I would much rather learn Esperanto. Esperanto seems like a language that encompasses other languages and it is not hard to spot words that are similar to Spanish or Italian. I think Klingon language needs to be left for Star Trek and I would not want to learn or teach this in my classroom.
I have heard people speak in Klingon. I have a friend who is obsessed with Star Trek and is constantly trying to persude me to watch it with him. He isn't one of those people that only uses Klingon, but he knows more than the average person. I think that it's cool that Star Trek has a language that is used on the show, it sets it apart. But for the people who live to speak Kilingon and act out a TV show, I say find a new hobby. That is just weird!
This article reminded me of the movie Daddy daycare. The kid in that movie was always speaking in Klingon and the "daddys" couldn't understand him for the first part of the movie. While I would probably opt to learn Klingon over something like Esperanto, I really see zero need to learn the Klingon language. To be completely honest, I would probably end up making fun of any "trekkie" that knew the language. However, that certainly did not diminish how interesting the article was. It's pretty crazy that people actually learned the language, but kudos to them because it is pretty interesting.
I have never watched Star Trek and have never been a fan of science-fiction. To be honest, when I was reading this article I had visions of the famous Star Trek conventions. I was perplexed that people actually take the time to form and practice this language. I believe Esperanto would be more valuable when compared to Klingon because of its practical use.
It is amazing that they can make an entire language for just a TV show. I'm almost positive the only people who use this language are fans of the show. I have no desire to learn it because, honestly, how many people really use this language outside of the fan-base? I suppose if I were a hardcore fan it would be a different story.
I absolutely cannot identify with the text. I have never really been a Star Wars fan and I probably can't tell you the first thing about it. I'm also not a Star Trek fan either. Things that dealt with the stars and weird looking people never seemed to interest me, neither does the language that they speak, but I do suppose that I would need to become a little literate about it seeing as though most game shows ask questions about Star Wars or Star Trek every now and again and I would hate to miss out out on a million dollars on account of the fact that I didn't know what the "force" was.
by Stefani Pittman
This is nothing that amuses me in the least. I cannot relate to this topic in any shape or form. I am not at all putting the subject matter down. I think that my ten-year old son would find it absolutely fascinating. Since I am not my ten-year old son, I do not find it fascinating. It is more so for those who like the fictional attributes that "trekies" seem to like. I do find the language a difficult one if one was to try and learn it. So in that frame of thought, I, of the older generation, need to reserve my cognitive abilities for learning a language that is common to what my lifestyle might dictate. In other words, this "old-schooler" is going to leave Klingon to all of you young and vibrant Klingons!
The author is unnaturally enthusiastic about the Klingon language. I know the stereotypes about speakers about the Klingon language, largely that they're a bunch of nerds, but I've never heard it nor have I ever seen an episode of Star Trek.
Were Esperanto to take the place of Klingon in the television, Esperanto would have no validity whatsoever as a language. Aside from a select few avid fans of Star Trek, the Klingon language is laughed at. As the article itself says, the language was created for entertainment purposes, not for educational purposes, and so the uses that it's being put to in the language camps and various translations that the article mentions are just flat out weird.
Regardless, I imagine that translating the Bible into a language a mere 2,000 words will be quite a challenge for these enthusiasts.
I agree with MS. Stute's comment I also would rather learn Klingon instead of Esperanto! I don't believe it is for geeks only! At least we could go to conventions and have fun while learning it. If it is widely used on T.V. there would be references to it on shows and movies. Ms. Stute was exactly right and I agree with her 100%!!!! It's not always about "educational purposes" sometimes it can be about having a life and a little fun.
WOW! Who would think that we, as Americans, would have an interstellar school which focuses on Klingon language only spoken by the Star Trek series. I've never been a fan of the star trek series nor have I watched them. Interstellar manners don't fancy my composure, but being the diversity lover that I am, I embrace this association. Implementing this school and different workshops brings a community of people together with the same interests. It's positive. I actually feel that learning this Klingon language would be in all good fun! Speaking a weird, alien-like language would be considered a slang that doesn't have so many critiques on it. I think I'll give Star Trek a good watch then I'll consider this language.
Post a Comment