Awesome! Klingon is on my list of languages to learn, right next to Tolkien's Elvish. I just figure its best to start with 'real' languages first, before moving on the the more widely spoken fantasy ones.
Actually, Klingon works better in this application, because:
1) The a priori lexicon makes it unintelligible to non-speakers, whereas Esperanto's vocabulary is taken primarily from several European languages, and thus can be at least partially understood by anyone familiar with European languages in general. Compare "Mi ne parolas la francan" to "vIraS Hol vIjatlhbe' "; "Ĉu vi komprenas?" to "bIyaj'a'?"
2) It has a harsher sound, thus increasing its "repellent" potency; Esperanto sounds kinda like something generically European, kinda a cross between Italian and Polish, while Klingon has that harsh guttural sound that may make the pot dealer (or scammer on the bus, or telemarketer, or...) think "What on earth??" rather than "rats, some language I don't know".
3) It has a lower likelihood that the person you're trying to discourage actually speaks it; there were "about a dozen" fluent Klingon speakers in 1996 (according to Wikipedia); the number now is maybe 50, if we're generous; certainly couldn't be more than 100. Whereas estimates of the number of Esperanto speakers range from hundreds of thousands, to millions.
However, Klingon does have the disadvantage of being rather difficult to pronounce.
What country is this?
ReplyDeleteNone in particular. In many big cities I find merchants (of all types) can often speak many languages...
DeleteAwesome! Klingon is on my list of languages to learn, right next to Tolkien's Elvish.
ReplyDeleteI just figure its best to start with 'real' languages first, before moving on the the more widely spoken fantasy ones.
I think there's a lot you can learn about real languages by learning fictional ones. But yeah I myself don't actually speak Klingon.
DeleteI know more fictional languages than real ones. Not sure if I should be ashamed or proud. :P
DeleteDare I propose a "No thank you" as a repellent for next time?
ReplyDeleteIf you write a funny comic in exchange!
DeleteAnd here I thought this was ‘Itchy Feet in Berlin’ :D
ReplyDelete"nItebHa' mamI' DaneH'a'?"
ReplyDeleteghobe'. SoHvaD Hergh vIngev vIneH.
Как же это замечательно - писать на языках, которые никто не понимает!
DeleteИзвините, Я не понимаю. Вы говорите Эсперанто? ;-)
Deleteor esperanto
ReplyDeleteActually, Klingon works better in this application, because:
Delete1) The a priori lexicon makes it unintelligible to non-speakers, whereas Esperanto's vocabulary is taken primarily from several European languages, and thus can be at least partially understood by anyone familiar with European languages in general. Compare "Mi ne parolas la francan" to "vIraS Hol vIjatlhbe' "; "Ĉu vi komprenas?" to "bIyaj'a'?"
2) It has a harsher sound, thus increasing its "repellent" potency; Esperanto sounds kinda like something generically European, kinda a cross between Italian and Polish, while Klingon has that harsh guttural sound that may make the pot dealer (or scammer on the bus, or telemarketer, or...) think "What on earth??" rather than "rats, some language I don't know".
3) It has a lower likelihood that the person you're trying to discourage actually speaks it; there were "about a dozen" fluent Klingon speakers in 1996 (according to Wikipedia); the number now is maybe 50, if we're generous; certainly couldn't be more than 100. Whereas estimates of the number of Esperanto speakers range from hundreds of thousands, to millions.
However, Klingon does have the disadvantage of being rather difficult to pronounce.
*slow clap*
DeleteIt's amazing how smug a peanut with eyes can look.
ReplyDelete( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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