tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Nov 20 11:34:47 1995
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Re: if, then...
>Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 13:46:29 -0800
>From: "d'Armond Speers" <[email protected]>
>On Thu, 16 Nov 1995, Christian Matzke wrote:
>> If mongDech is collar, then could DeSDech be sleeve and 'uSDech
>> be pant leg?
>Although I appreciate your logic, these constructions do not follow the
>rules for the grammar that we've been given. Your */DeSDech/ and
>*/'uSDech/ are both Noun-Verb compounds, a construction which falls
>outside of the grammar as we know it. It may be that, at some time in
>the future, we're given these very words from Okrand. But until that
>time, we can't assume they exist.
I agree with most of what Holtej says: *DeSDech and *'uSDech presume the
existence of a morpheme we have no real evidence for, at least for its
productive and independent existence.
>> If nItlhpach is fingernail, then is yaDpach toenail?
>> Also, can vaH (holster) be translated sheath as well?
>I would understand /yaDpach/ as I understand /nItlhpach/. It is a valid
>Noun-Noun construction.
Right.
I'm not sure vaH is all that bad for "sheath". In context, it would likely
be understood, I'd think.
~mark