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The program creators said Klingon is considered a "conlag," or "constructed language," and is one of the most popular such languages, with several books written on the subject and even the creation of a Klingon Language Institute.
The Klingon language course, which like other Duolingo courses teaches the language using game-like exercises, was designed by Stockholm-based Star Trek superfan Felix Malmenbeck.
"Many Star Trek fans become curious about the Klingon language at some point, but learning a language takes time, energy and regular practice, especially when you're just starting out," Malmenbeck said. "Therefore, if the language isn't one of your primary interests, chances are you'll end up investing that energy elsewhere, whether it's cosplay, fan fiction, reading novels or any of the multitude of forms that fandom can take."
"The Duolingo course should help lower that barrier to entry by giving people a simple way to get regular exercise with the language," he said. "I suspect that this will lead to an increased number of Star Trek fans continuing their studies of Klingon. It also helps that Star Trek: Discovery has taken the language very seriously, meaning that there is now a stronger connection between the show and the language."
The Klingon course was released Thursday on Duolingo's website and the language is expected to be available to users of the company's iOS and Android apps at some point in the future.