Re: new Klingon spelling

Some people wrote, and I responded:

> > Happen to have a handy link to reading ASCII IPA? (Not that vowels were
ever
> > my strong point with IPA...)
>
> http://www.conlanglinks.tk has a variety of useful conlang-related links,
> including, in the third group of links, pointers to images of an IPA
> chart with ASCII equivalents in blue in two systems: X-SAMPA and "CXS".
> CXS is just X -SAMPA, with a few symbols that were unpopular with folks on
> this list replaced with more palatable ones.
Ah, thanks. I suppose getting familiar with CXS would be a good idea. Though
I still don't get IPA vowels...this is what I get for being mostly
self-taught :P

> > Incidentally, I never knew the origin of "karaoke". I've wondered at it,
> > actually. If the "oke" is from "orchestra", what is the "kara" from?
>
> Short for "karappo", meaning "empty"; same root as the "kara" in "karate":
> empty-handed combat, empty-orchestra-pit singing.
I always forget that reading for "sora". Makes sense now. Thanks :)

-Keith