tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jan 29 18:18:09 1995

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Re: (n) orbit?

> Someone wrote:-
> > If we stretch just a little, we might try to use {bav} as an adjective.
> > {bav} = (v) orbit, be an orbit ** proposed extension to definition
> > Then {He bav} would do just fine without needing an entirely new word.
> 
> Mark Shoulson replied:-
> > "to orbit" and "to be an orbit" are vastly different concepts. I see that
> > you're trying to get something like "bavbogh He".  ...
> 
> {Doy' puq} = "the child is tired",  {puq Doy'} = "tired child". Thus,
> {bav Duj}  = "the ship is in orbit", {Duj bav} = "ship which is in orbit".


Except the latter translation is incorrect.

<Doy'> is defined as "to be tired", while <bav> means "to orbit".  Notice 
it does *not* mean "to be in orbit", as you translated here.  I believe 
that is is a generally accepted belief that only "to be" verbs (I believe 
the term is 'stative'?) may be used after a noun as an adjective, as you 
are doing here.  So, your second part, <Duj bav> is grammatically 
incorrect.  It has to be <bavbogh Duj>.  Follow me?

> This reversing of word order between these 2 constructions, plus a fair amount
> of individual verbs that <can> be used as nouns, seems to allow complimentary
> ambiguous pairs like:-
> {qum qeS} = V N "the advice governs"
>             N V "a government which is advising [someone]"
> {qeS qum} = V N "an advice which governs"
>             N V "the government is advising [someone]"


I see no ambiguity here.  Since neither of the verbs you are using are 
stative, there is only one translation for each:

	qum qeS = "the advice governs"
	qeS qum = "the government advises"


Just my cha' DeQmey...


--HoD trI'Qal


-- 
HaghtaHbogh tlhIngan yIvoqQo'!  toH, qatlh reH HaghtaH HoD Qanqor...?

--HoD trI'Qal		Captain T'rkal		---------------------
  tlhwD lIy So'		IKV Hidden Comet	|   [email protected]

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