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Hello, and welcome to the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list!
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This message explains the structure of the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list, how you can post messages to the list, and guidelines for posting messages. Please read this entire message carefully before you post anything to the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list.
* Frequently Asked Questions about this list
The FAQ for this mailing list is located at:
http://www.thomtech.com/~dspeers/klingon/faq.htm
* What is the Klingon language?
The Klingon language is the language of the Klingon Empire, of course. The language that we recognize in this mailing list is laid out in Marc Okrand's book _The Klingon Dictionary_ (Pocket Books, ISBN 0-671-74559-X, Approx. US$10). If you don't have a copy of this book, we recommend strongly that you obtain one before posting to the mailing list. This will help keep the list from being clogged with simple vocabulary questions, and will allow you to follow the action much more easily. If you can't find the book in book stores near you, you can order a copy directly from Pocket Books by calling their mail order number at (201) 767-5937, or from the KLI's (http://www.kli.org) merchant page.
This language was developed by Marc Okrand for the filming of ST:III TSFS and has been used ever since whenever Klingon dialogue is called for in the ST movies and (somewhat less faithfully) in ST:TNG.
* About the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list
The purpose of the tlhIngan-Hol mailing list is to provide a forum for people to exercise their Klingon language skills. No additional purpose is intended or implied. The topics discussed on the list are essentially unbounded. In fact, the wider the range of discussions, the better it will be for everyone trying to expand their skills.
The mailing list is not moderated. However, it will have one or more "official grammarians" (pabpo'pu'), usually selected from those speakers who have shown exceptional skill in the use of the Klingon language. If you are not one of the official grammarians, please do not post messages of the form: "Your grammar for this sentence was wrong. It should have been...". Of course, questions and discussions about grammar or the best usage for a given phrase are welcome from anyone. Just leave correcting other people's missives to the grammarians. Adherence to this policy will preclude endless chains of replies of the form "you should have said..." and will probably remove grammar flames as well. The grammarians will correct bad grammar publicly, not to cause anyone shame, but to make sure that everyone benefits from the example. At the grammarians' discretion, some corrections may be handled privately when they think that most readers already know the correct form (and therefore wouldn't want to bothered with a correction message).
* A word about manners
Sadly, many people today don't understand the value of civil behaviour and its ability to create a pleasant social experience. I don't expect rudeness to be a problem on the tlhIngan-Hol list, but I won't allow it to become one, either.
This is a Klingon mailing list: disagreements, conflict, and spirited exchanges are expected and encouraged. However, rude behaviour towards fellow readers or repeated comments in poor taste will not be tolerated, nor will repeated failure to abide by the guidelines of the list. Repeat offenders will be removed. The list administrator will be the sole judge of acceptable vs. unacceptable behaviour. The purpose of these rules is not to limit discussions to "politically correct" topics (emphatically not!), only to weed out the most offensive messages and keep a pleasant, if spirited, atmosphere.
* What should postings look like?
Most postings on this list should be fairly short. In particular, messages in excess of two or three dozen lines should have an obvious and compelling reason for their length. When you quote someone else in a reply, make sure that you've attributed the quote properly and that you've trimmed the quote down to the relevant details. If your reply contains more lines of quotations than of new text, you should seriously consider whether you can make do with fewer lines of quotation.
There are basically two kinds of postings that will appear on this list:
- Messages about anything, written in Klingon - Messages about Klingon, written in English
Topics in the first kind of message are essentially unbounded, as explained above. Talk about the weather, sports, history, medicine, whatever, as long as you do it in Klingon. The second kind of message should be used when you want to start a "meta-discussion" like: "How do I convey the notion that I was doing something continuously for a while, but now I'm done?" It's best that these discussions are done in English so that everyone can follow them easily.
Be kind to other readers and indicate which type of message you've written by writing the subject line either in Klingon for the first type or English for the second.
Messages that don't fit into the above categories are not welcome on tlhIngan-Hol, and in the worst cases, may result in your immediate removal. This includes such things as virus warnings ("Good Times", and the like), political messages (The Communications Decency Act, etc), or anything else that is COMPLETELY unrelated to tlhIngan-Hol.
* Other Tidbits
Here are a few other guidelines that will make life easier for everyone:
1. When writing in Klingon, don't transliterate English proper nouns into Klingon phonemes. As attractive as it may sound, it will make it hard for other readers (especially beginners) to follow your text. If you have to use an English word, just drop it in. The spelling rules are different enough that it will be more than evident what language it came from.
2. In general, don't use Clipped Klingon; Use only "High" Klingon in your postings.
3. For your first message, introduce yourself to the list (in Klingon if you can). Include information about any "handles" you might be using so that people will know how to address you.
4. Have Fun.
* Sending messages to the list
Send your messages to the list at this address: tlhIngan-Hol@kli.org When you send messages to the list, be sure to check your To: and Cc: lines carefully. Some readers may not want to see their messages redistributed to other mailing lists or other media, so please do not forward messages from this mailing list to anyone else unless you have permission from the author.
If you have a question, comment, or request concerning the mailing list itself, send it to <mark@kli.org>. If you have problems with your account on the list or the listserver software (trying to unsubscribe, for instance), send mail to the list's administrator, <dspeers@thomtech.com>