Klingon language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Klingon |
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|---|---|
| Created by | Marc Okrand, James Doohan |
| Setting and usage | Star Trek films and television series |
| Purpose |
constructed language
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| Writing system | Latin, Klingon alphabets |
| Sources | constructed languages a priori languages |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Klingon Language Institute |
The Klingon language (Klingon: tlhIngan Hol) is a special language made for the Klingon characters in the Star Trek universe. It is a constructed language, which means it was created by someone, not developed naturally over time like English or Spanish. No country uses Klingon as its main language. Only a few people around the world can speak Klingon well. The Klingon Language Institute helps people learn this unique language.
How Klingon Was Made
The very first Klingon words were created by the actor James Doohan in 1979. He played Scotty in the first Star Trek movie. Later, in 1984, when they were making the third Star Trek movie, the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, wanted the Klingons to have a real, full language.
So, a linguist named Marc Okrand was hired. A linguist is like a scientist who studies languages. Marc Okrand created the entire Klingon language, including its grammar and many words. He even wrote books about how to speak Klingon!
Speaking Klingon
Marc Okrand designed Klingon to sound very different from human languages. He wanted it to sound like an alien language. One interesting thing about Klingon is its word order. In English, we usually say "I see the cat" (Subject-Verb-Object). But in Klingon, the word order is always object-verb-subject. So, "I see the cat" would be said as "the cat see I" in Klingon! This makes it sound very unique and complicated.
Images for kids
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A robot, like those seen in science fiction.
