tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 19 10:18:07 2003

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Re: Use of {-wI'} on nouns (was Re: Quote)

Lieven L. Litaer (Quvar) ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol ghojwI']

jaj 18.12.2003 rep 23:22:45, ghItlh "Scott Willis" <[email protected]>:

>And I know of {De'wI'} "computer".
>
>Now my question: Did {-wI'} become a noun suffix while I wasn't looking?

You serious? {-wI'} is still a verb-suffix, and it doesn't work with nouns [except, of course, if you 
think about the possessive suffix -wI'/-wIj]

>Has this been stated as a general rule, or is it still up to MO to decide
>what nouns can take {-wI'}?

You got it.

On the other hand, we could stay in the game and say that this might be an old klingon form, or even 
more likely a shortened form, perhaps *De' vu'wI'* "Information-manager" or the like.
FYI: computer means literally "thing which calculates", the German word Rechner means exactly the 
same, in France they call it an "ordinateur", a "thing which arranges (data)", and the turkish word 
bilgisayar means something close to "data-counter".

{De'wI'} seems the be based on the same idea.

[By the way, in turkish there is a nice suffix which is about what you meant: There is a dish called 
kebap, and the one who makes and sells it is called the kebapci. Many other things work like that.]
----

Somebody mentioned {QongDaq}, where apparently a noun suffix is attached to a verb. In this case, I 
would also claim this to be a shortened form of - most likely - {QongmeH Daq} "place to sleep".  (as 
happened with qa'meH)
As we might remember, Klingons do not have beds, and if they are they are made of the same material 
as the floor. (CK)
There is no Klingon word for bed!!!
[since they have none...]
What we call a "bed" is just a sleeping place for klingons, or "sleep-place" {QongDaq}.

But perhaps this is just my opinion... :-)

Quvar 'utlh.

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