tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 22 13:24:47 1996

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Re: Words from the wild (was Re: Par'Mach is ...)



> If we analyzed it in respect to all the other <mu'mey tlhIngan>, we would
> find that, as even beginners notice, that there should not be an apostrophe
> (') between the two consonants (according to what we know of <tlhIngan Hol>).
    OTOH, it is at least pronounceable.

> To me it is just jibberish, but maybe someone could come up with a
> reasonable explanation as to why it appears to say "small dislike". I can
    My explanation, we don't know.  Definition by etymology is a common error.
Did you know that by etymology, the word 'embarass' means 'prevent'?  But the
modern usage is no closer to that than 'slight dislike' is to 'love'.  Or it
could have originally been a slang term.  Show me the etymological derivation
of the vernacular meaning of 'cool'.  My point, linguistics is not an exact
science with inflexible rules.  Sometimes you just can't figure what they were
thinking.  Or *if* they were thinking. :)

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| Thaddaeus Vick, Linguist to the Masses |    [email protected]  -or-    |
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