[1768] in tlhIngan-Hol
Compound Words & -ghach
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Tue Oct 19 18:49:32 1993
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com>
From: cleggp@rpi.edu
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 93 18:46:13 EDT
>>cha'leS ghuntaHghachHolpaQDI'norghvaD chov vIchaj.
>
>>Day after tomorrow I have an exam in programming languages class... :)
>
>I'm assuming "paQDI'norgh" means "class" (I manually typed in all of
>the TKD lexicon and seemed to have forgotten to give the gloss for
>this word. To answer any replies in advance, no, you can't have a
>copy, because that would be copyright violation.) "chov" is a verb,
>"examine"; for "examination" you'd need "chovghach". Also, I suspect
>you meant "vIghaj" for "vIchaj", as "chaj" isn't a known word. Even
>better might be to substitute "jIchovlu'" for "chovghach vIghaj".
I don't think chovghach is required. At one point I was using -ghach
on almost every other word. According to 4.2.9 in the addendum to TKD,
it says that it's unknown if every verb may also be used as a noun, but
that verbs with suffixes may definitely NOT be used as a noun. However,
since "chov" (examination) didn't require any suffixes, -ghach isn't
necessary. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way 4.2.9
seems to read.
>"programming language" I might translate: "ghunghach Hol", "language
>of 'programming-a-computer'". "ghuntaHghach" would be something like
>"the act of programming a computer which proceeds without definite
>goal".
Well, you wouldn't need -ghach for "ghun" (program). And "ghun Hol" would
translate "language of the program". Perhaps "ghunmey Holmey" (languages
of programs). I can buy that one. But then how would you associate THAT
with "paQDI'norgh" (teachings, I'm using this for "class"). Would that
be, perhaps "paQDI'norgh ghun HolvaD" (or do I have "paQDI'norgh" on the
wrong side?)
>I don't think there are rules for making arbitrary new compound words,
>so we have to stick to N-N constructions.
Well, they're discussed in TKD 3.2.1, and although Okrand doesn't say that
you can't, he also does not imply in the least that you can't. I think
most people would argue that you can.
>Yes, it does appear there isn't an easy way to make adjectives out of
>nouns. Again, I don't think we can arbitrarily construct new compound
>nouns, espeically if one of the constituents is a -ghach form.
>
...Paul
>
