Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Klingon Language

If you’re just getting to grips with, and perhaps know a few words and phrases in, 'regular' Klingon, you might be surprised to learn that there are also a variety of dialects of the language.

Traditionally, since the time of Kahless, 'standard Klingon' has been referred to as 'The Emperor’s Klingon' or ta' tlhIngan Hol. As Mark Okrand details in Klingon for the Galactic Traveler, the regional dialect spoken by each emperor was always considered "the best way [to speak]". Even when the Klingon political system moved away from such a leadership model, the dialect spoken by the person in charge (regardless of title) was still "considered the best," and "the standard dialect" was still called ta' tlhIngan Hol or simply ta’ Hol. Standard Klingon or ta’ Hol then went on to be defined as the form of Klingon spoken in the First City on Kronos. Different houses may also have their own dialects.

The local tongues of other regions may exhibit variations ranging from minor differences in pronunciation or vocabulary to near mutual incomprehensibility. Some areas still use an ancestral, pre-Kahless, form of the language, and certain alien words and phrases have even made it into Klingon over the years. Named dialects include Krotmag (Qotmagh), Tak’ev (taq’ev), Ruk’evet (ruq’e’vet), and Sakrej (Sa’Qej).

Whilst Okrand invented the vast majority of these dialects to account for mispronunciations on the part of the actors, one was deliberately created for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – Morska (mo’rISqa’). When the Enterprise is en route to rescue Kirk and McCoy from Rura Penthe, the crew are quizzed by Klingons at the listening post Morska and must "respond personally" without the universal translator. We hear the dialect in this exchange.