The Klingon Language Institute

Speak loudly and carry a big bat'telh

• The Klingon Language Institute
• Maintained by Lawrence Schoen
• lawrence@kli.org
• Supports text-only

hen Marc Okrand was asked by Paramount to write The Klingon Dictionary, he decided to create an actual working language rather than just a series of hoarse grunts. Since then, interest in Klingon has grown at a phenomenal rate. Now there are Klingon audio tapes, summer camps, and even the Klingon Language Institute, which boasts more than 1000 members in 30 countries.

The Klingon Language Institute's Web site serves as a gateway to the organization, which has dedicated itself to expanding and fostering the Klingon language. The Web site presents a short introduction to the language (with sounds in .AU format), an explanation of the writing system, and many examples of Klingon text. The site also outlines services offered by the KLI, which include a free postal course (postage provided by the student) and an Internet mailing list.

The number and variety of projects that various Klingophiles are engaged in is staggering. The KLI publishes two journals, HolQeD, a refereed academic journal, and jatmey -- or Scattered Tongues -- a literary magazine. Other members are working on a translation of the Bible and the Shakespeare Restoration Project, whose goal is to translate the complete works of Shakespeare into "the original Klingon." For the online world there is the Klingon Educational Virtual Environment, a MUSH for Klingon speakers of all levels.

The KLI Web site serves its purpose as a direct and efficient, if understated, introduction to the Institute itself. While there is decidedly nothing fancy about the design -- the pages are kept intentionally simple to speed access times -- this site is rich in content. On the main Web pages visitors will find an excellent overview of the Institute itself, its goals, its current projects and its activities.

There are also numerous examples of the Klingon language in the site's FTP archive, although the fact that many lack English translations and almost none are formatted for the Web hinder their usefulness. Still, readers can get a taste of the Klingon versions of Hamlet, select fables from Aesop and more. There is some particularly interesting reading to be found on the contest page, which has Klingon palindromes, holorimes, insults and more.

A bonus for dedicated Klingophiles is a listing of new Klingon words not to be found in the The Klingon Dictionary. Another excellent feature is a searchable archive of the Klingon mailing list -- including many discussions that predate the Institute itself. A fun little treasure can also be found in a somewhat fictionalized painting of a KLI classroom (the artist first wanted to paint the Institute itself, until he learned it existed more intellectually than physically).

While the site designers missed a few bets by not including examples of the literary journals or any true introduction to the workings of the Klingon language, any readers interested in Klingon or the KLI should make this Web site their first stop.

I was surprised at how dry this site is compared to the forehead-butting, gahk-guzzling Klingons I know. -- Brooks

I think I'm going to sign up for the correspondence course... -- Craig E.

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