tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Apr 30 08:48:42 1995

Back to archive top level

To this year's listing



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: latlh



According to R.B Franklin:
> 
> {Hoch} is a noun.  {pagh} is a number.  Their use is somewhat different.

While everything else said here is accurate, {pagh} has TWO
listings in TKD. One is a number and the other is a noun. If it
is being used to mean "nothing, none" (might he have meant
"no one/nobody"?), then it is to be used as a noun without
reference to its useage as a nunber.

> In PK, there is the phrase:  
> {targhlIj yab tIn law' no'lI' Hoch yabDu' tIn puS.} 
> ("My targ has a bigger brain than all of your ancestors put together.") 
> 
> Here {no'lI' Hoch} means "all of your ancesters".  In this noun-noun 
> construction, {Hoch} follows the noun.  But if I wanted to say "no or zero 
> ancestors", it would be {pagh no'} because numbers precede the noun they 
> modify.

Okay, I'm going to work hard coming up with an exception here.
I want to tell you that you are to touch nothing belonging to
my ancestors. no'wI' pagh yIHot! I know that it could mean
"Touch my ancestor #0," but here I think we have to trust that
my meaning is apparent enough to cover the ambiguity.

> yoDtargh

charghwI'
-- 

 \___
 o_/ \
 <\__,\
  ">   | Get a grip.
   `   |


Back to archive top level