Rhona Fenwick

Dr. Rhona Fenwick (Klingon name: QeS, born 1983 in Brisbane, Australia; formerly known as Rohan) is an Australian Klingonist, one of several KLI Grammarians. She holds the KLCP rank of po'wI' (expert), and is the only active Australian Klingonist so qualified. She began learning Klingon in 2001, subsequently serving as Beginners' Grammarian from 10 December 2004 until 31 December 2005.

Initially known as ro'Han (circa 2001), Rhona's Klingon alter ego used to be in full QeS lagh, later QeS la' after achieving her undergraduate qualifications. She no longer regularly uses a title as part of her Klingon name (though as a retired Grammarian, her appropriate title is now 'utlh). She chose the name QeS for no other reason than because it was an otherwise meaningless monosyllable beginning with a capital letter; it carries no special meaning.

Outside of Klingon circles, Rhona is an archaeologist and linguist with research interests in Turkey and the Caucasus. She received her doctorate in archaeology from the University of Queensland in 2013.

Motives for learning Klingon

From a message sent to the mailing list on 29 April 2016:

I learned Klingon not because of Star Trek, but because I was fascinated by the idea that someone could build a whole language from scratch (this was when I was much younger - I was 17 when I started learning). Not like Esperanto - I tried it first, and found it too pedestrianly European without the benefits of learning a natural European language like Spanish or Danish or Greek - but as soon as I started learning how unique and different Klingon is as a language, I was hooked. I actually became a Star Trek fan because of Klingon, not the other way around.

Involvement with the Klingon language community

• Began learning Klingon in 2001
• 14^th Beginner's Grammarian of the KLI
• Created the revised Klingon Scrabble letter distribution
• Klingon-language reviewer for the KLI's Worlds of Translation project
• Wrote an article in HolQeD (1) on surviving modern Klingon traces of ancient Klingon OSV word order
• Published translations:
  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (chIjwI' tIQ bom), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (KLI Press: December 2020)
  • The Tyger (mIl'oD), by William Blake ('eSrIv 9: May 2020)
  • A Feaver (tuj rop), by John Donne ('eSrIv 9: May 2020)
• Translations in progress:
  • undisclosed science-fiction novel (complete, in editing pending publication discussions)
  • Restoration of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (prologue and Act II.2 complete)
  • The Man in the Panther Skin, by Shota Rustaveli (c. 80% complete, on temporary hiatus)
• Composed (unofficial) Klingon subtitles for the film Star Trek: First Contact
• Moonlighted in the taHjaj wo' barbershop quartet revival at qep'a' cha'maHDIch

Trivia

The Klingon word 'an'or fossil is a quite obvious pun based on Rhona's name spelled backwards. (And as an archaeologist with an enthusiasm for palaeontology, Rhona confesses, she does indeed spend a goodly amount of her time around 'an'ormey of various kinds.)

See also

• Klingonists of note
• List of translations in progress

References

1 : HolQeD 13:2, pp. 6-7

Beginners' Grammarian of the KLI 1. Barbara Dobelbower • 2. d'Armond Speers • 3. Will Martin • 4. Randall Franklin • 5. Alan Anderson • 7. David Trimboli • 8. Robyn Stewart • 9. Eric Andeen • 10. Tad Stauffer • 11. Roger Cheesbro • 12. Lieven L. Litaer • 13. Scott Willis • 14. Rhona Fenwick • 15. Terrence Donnelly • 16. John Harness

	Holder of KLCP rank:
	--	--	Advanced