[1594] in tlhIngan-Hol
mI'QeD
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Oct 5 03:55:17 1993
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com>
From: DSTRADER@delphi.com
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com>
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1993 03:51:20 -0400 (EDT)
X-Vms-To: IN%"tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com"
As I recall, shortly before the list went off line there was some
discussion on {vatlhvI'} "percent." I have come up with a theory
explaining the suffix -vI' as a reciprocal marker.
First off all, Klingon has two systems of number words:
a) the value words --
1 wa'
2 cha'
3 wej
4 loS
5 vagh
6 jav
7 Soch
8 chorgh
9 Hut
b) and place holder words (powers of ten) --
10^1 maH, 10
10^2 vatlh, 100
10^3 SanID/SaD, 1000
10^4 netlh, 10000
10^5 bIp, 100000
10^6 'uy', 1000000
The numerical construction of a number is similar to its grammatical
construction in Klingon:
98 765
Hutnetlh chorghSaD Sochvatlh javmaH vagh
9 * 10^4 + 8 * 10^3 + 7 * 10^2 + 6 * 10^1 + 5 * 10^0,
i.e., 90000 + 8000 + 700 + 60 + 5
Here's the postulation:
vatlhvI' is a word that suggests a more complex system of Klingon
numerical grammar. -vI' used after a place holder name like vatlh
indicates the reciprocal: vatlh = 100, vatlhvI' = 1/100
This would open a whole new realm for decimals.
4.444
loS loSmaHvI' loSvatlhvI' loSSaDvI'
4 * 10^0 + 4 * 10^-1 + 4 * 10^-2 + 4 * 10^-3
i.e., 4 + .4 + .04 + .004
Thus the new group of words indicating powers of ten less than 10^0:
10^-1 maHvI', 1/10
10^-2 vatlhvI', 1/100
10^-3 SanIDvI', 1/1000
10^-4 netlhvI', 1/10000
10^-5 bIpvI', 1/100000
10^-6 'uy'vI', 1/1000000
Also, value words (1-9) might also be able to take -vI'.
cha'vI' 1/2
wejvI' 1/3
loSvI' 1/4
vaghvI' 1/5
etc....
Of course, there is a word bID meaning "half" in TKD. I would accept
this as an irregularity, equivalent to cha'vI', just a more common
ly used term.
"I think you're carrying this a little too far, Guido," the insightful
reader might say. (Or they might say something about me I'm not allowed
to post on this list). "If this is true, why didn't Okrand mention
something about such a useful system of fractions in TKD."
Not in the slightest bit do I want to detract from Okrand; his linguistic
knowledge is brilliant. Altho, understandably, he has never displayed
profound knowledge of mathematics. On the other hand, maybe he had this
whole system in mind. He just wanted to leave it up to the faithful
tlhIngan Hol HaDwI', just like he left it up us to figure out that
{tlhaq}, the word for "chronometer," is really "clock."
ngerwIj yIqel
Guido#1 ---*
ghItlh 'o' (P.S.)-
Does any think that {cherHa'be'ghachnganqech}="Antidisestablishmentarianism?"
cher establish
Ha' dis
be' anti
ghach ment
ngan arian
qech ism
Never mind...
