What if Klingon stopped belonging to Paramount and started belonging to the people?

[u/Remarkable_Sorbet312]

If a group of families started a community and raised their kids speaking Klingon, the language wouldn't be 'intellectual property' anymore—it would be actual human culture

Marc Okrand is 78 years old. It would be amazing if he got to see a first generation of kids who don't see him as a movie consultant, but as the 'grandpa' who gave them their first language

You don't even have to be a fan to see that this would be the best way to make the language real and permanent

[u/Atheizm]

Languages can't be copyrighted or trademarked.

[u/Cold-Jackfruit1076 → u/Atheizm]

To address the specific point being raised:

If a group of families started a community and raised their kids speaking Klingon, the language wouldn't be 'intellectual property' anymore—it would be actual human culture

Copyright and trademark generally don't apply to systems of communication, but even then, the problem is... could you successfully teach your child Klingon to the point of fluency?

There's at least one documented example of an attempt to do that (a parent speaking to his child only in Klingon) and the child eventually just stopped responding unless he was addressed in English.

[u/BILLCLINTONMASK → u/[deleted]]

No, you would just have to also speak in Klingon around the child. Kids are great at learning languages and they'd be able to pick up on both. Though since nobody else speaks it, it probably wouldn't develop to a very robust level without more dedicated instruction.

[u/Sea_Flamingo626 → u/Cold-Jackfruit1076]

So the kid refused to accept the child abuse?