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The Klingon Dictionary
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The Klingon Dictionary is the first comprehensive sourcebook for Klingon language and syntax, including fundamental rules of grammar as well as words and expressions that illustrate the complex nature of Klingon culture. It features a precise pronunciation guide, rules for proper use of affixes and suffixes, and a small phrasebook with Klingon translations for essential ex
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Paperback, 192 pages
Published
June 24th 2008
by Pocket Books
(first published December 1985)
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Start your review of The Klingon Dictionary
I briefly owned a copy of this book, but managed to give it to the teenage son of a colleague before the compulsion had had time to establish itself. This no doubt saved me at least 100 hours of pointless study, which I'm intending to devote to improving my grasp of irregular Quenya verbs.
I didn't think Klingon was as good as Tolkien's languages - it somehow lacked depth. But the list of handy phrases was fun. Looking around quickly just now on the Web, I was reminded of the ever-useful Heghlu'm ...more
I didn't think Klingon was as good as Tolkien's languages - it somehow lacked depth. But the list of handy phrases was fun. Looking around quickly just now on the Web, I was reminded of the ever-useful Heghlu'm ...more
I wouldn't leave the Federation without it.
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Oct 09, 2018
Abraham Ray
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
movies,
reference,
science,
trivia,
default,
young-adult,
non-fiction,
ebook,
televison,
fiction
Not the best Star Trek book in my opinion.
I first bought and read this book when I was in middle school in possibly 1997, but my grasp on linguistics is a bit better now than it was when I was 11 so I figured it was worth revisiting. It's actually better than I remembered.
The book very reasonably starts with a chapter on phonology, and while Okrand obviously doesn't use the IPA he describes the sounds of the language quite precisely, with no unresolvable ambiguities and only a few instances of sloppiness—e.g. ⟨H⟩ is described as like th ...more
The book very reasonably starts with a chapter on phonology, and while Okrand obviously doesn't use the IPA he describes the sounds of the language quite precisely, with no unresolvable ambiguities and only a few instances of sloppiness—e.g. ⟨H⟩ is described as like th ...more
Great, the Klingon dictionary! Much better than the German version (less errors). The description is really simple and thus easy to understand even for non-linguists. However, some things that I consider important are missing (how to say "with/without", ). Plus, I demand the cover to look less geeky.
P.S.: I have an original autograph by Marc Okrand in this book! ;) ...more
P.S.: I have an original autograph by Marc Okrand in this book! ;) ...more
Not only is this a fantastic work, but you have to appreciate that one of the Klingons on the front is Christopher Lloyd... Because, honestly, Star Trek ran for so long that everyone has been in it at least once.
NuqDaq Yuch Dapol!
(Where do you keep the chocolate?)
NuqDaq Yuch Dapol!
(Where do you keep the chocolate?)
hell yea I read this. wanna fight about it?
The original work and its supplement for the conlang ("constructed language") for the Klingon people of Star Trek, which linguist Mark Okrand was commissioned to create. Sophisticated thinking about language. He took the trouble to make this alien language distinct - a slightly alien phonology, and a sentence order less commonly encountered in RL languages. He also makes it a plausible language with a coherent and consistent grammar with many plausible exceptions or unique usages. Re-reading thi
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FUN!
One day, when I become fluent, I shall tell you how I REALLY feel! I love Worf for ever and ever!
One day, when I become fluent, I shall tell you how I REALLY feel! I love Worf for ever and ever!
Fascinating.
This was homework I SWEAR!!
Ka'plah! (Victory/success)
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Not that I'd ever study it, but it's just one of those things that's good to have on your reference shelf, y'know?
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Very helpful!
Pretty Neat!
Technically I haven't "read" this one, but I have made use of it for reference numerous times. I've long been fascinated with this fictitious culture from one of my favorite TV and movie franchises, and this peek into the language constructed for them just adds another fascinating layer.
My biggest complaint is that in the section that provides Klingon phrases ready made for you, the people who formatted the book elected to use a san-serif font that doesn't do well at differentiating between a lo ...more
My biggest complaint is that in the section that provides Klingon phrases ready made for you, the people who formatted the book elected to use a san-serif font that doesn't do well at differentiating between a lo ...more
This is really good! (Well, if you don't see the point in reading on fictional languages - don't!)
In my opinion, Klingon is the most creative conlang (of those, who reached a broader audience) ever created. Marc Okrand pushes the reader beyond the known (indo-)european structeres and introduces her/him to a whole new range of possibilities. We owe him much for this!
As a linguist I whished for scientific terminology to be used more often but I can live with it.
And for all those who do not under ...more
In my opinion, Klingon is the most creative conlang (of those, who reached a broader audience) ever created. Marc Okrand pushes the reader beyond the known (indo-)european structeres and introduces her/him to a whole new range of possibilities. We owe him much for this!
As a linguist I whished for scientific terminology to be used more often but I can live with it.
And for all those who do not under ...more
I don't know how to rate dictionaries or grammar of languages but I think that I don't understand the organisation of the book well. There are two parts and I didn't understand why not just write the whole grammar at the beginning of the book and the whole dictionary after that. There are grammar-dictionary-grammar-dictionary and I think that it is a little bit confusing. But maybe I just didn't understand the purpose of those sequence because of my poor English-German (I have this book in Germa
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It's one of those things that outsiders just don't get. Why bother trying to learn a fictional language? Well, why not? The creator of the Klingon language deserves props for not taking the easy route with a simple transliteral gibberish that would have probably done just fine on the screen. No, this language is definitely alien, with some pronunciations that simply do not exist in English. Even if it doesn't actually help you learn the tongue, this is a must for Trekkies (that right, I didn't s
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The book is in fact really cool. The Klingon language! Whoot, how geeky is that?! I read the book several times and it looks very used already. BUT: This is the German translation and it's one of the worst translated books ever! There are about 2~3 errors per page, no kidding. Go buy the English version instead. That's why I rated this one here so low. I hope Jens Helmig (the translator) was fired afterwards. ;)
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I read this for a book report and presentation when I was in the tenth grade with the express intention of pissing my teacher off. It was so worth it. Besides, you gotta respect anybody who can invent a whole language.
Aug 31, 2009
Valerie
added it
This isn't technically a 'dictionary', so much as a grammar. There is a glossary, but the bulk of the book is semantic analysis, cases, etc. Wish I had my own copy--it would be useful for reference. There is (or was) a quarterly journal to supplement it. Haven't looked for that lately.
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What's there to say? It's a dictonary for a fictional language. If you're looking to learn Klingon, this is a good corner stone along with internet resources. If you're not, why would you pick this book up?
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This is not the most academically superior book I've ever read, but it does what it says on the tin. It's a dictionary with basic Klingon words, and a little overview of the grammar and general morphology etc. This is a great book for beginners, even though it was published in 1992.
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Come on. It's a Klingon dictionary. How kool is that?
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Mar 01, 2009
Ross
added it
Everyone just needs to have a few verses of Klingon in their vocab. Just because.
The first and foremost source of Klingon words and grammar. A must for any learner.
I'll be honest: I'm not a Star Trek fan, so I'm only reading this because no one has, as far as I know, published a dictionary of Quenya or Sindarin.
Still, awesome. Mark Okrand rocks! ...more
Still, awesome. Mark Okrand rocks! ...more
Unlike Ellen, I AM a Star Trek fan, and I am quite delighted to be pursuing one of the best developed and geekiest conlangs ever.
Maybe one day I'll finish this review in tlhIngan. Or maybe now. ...more
Maybe one day I'll finish this review in tlhIngan. Or maybe now. ...more
Yes, I'm a nerd, I read this. If you're interested in Klingons I'd recommend reading this as well.
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