tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Nov 21 20:25:14 1997

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Re: squadron officers



I think SuStel posted an almost identical response, but I'll send this one
anyway.  Useful for people to see the BGs agree on some things. :)

lab DloraH
> somebody challenged:

peHruS ghaH.

> >1) Two squadrons of officers entered the restaurant.
> >2) Two squadron officers entered the restaurant.
> >3) The officers of two squadrons entered the restaurant.
>
> I thought I would give it a try.
> (I felt that I was forgetting a rule or two, but hey, I tried)
> 
> 1) Qe' lu'el cha' yaS nawloghmey

jIQochbe'.

It could also mean "Two officers' squadrons entered the restaurant."

Your next two contain a speculative answer to what I've seen 
called "the cat in the hat" problem. We are told that in a noun-noun 
construction, only the second noun takes type 5 suffixes.  So how do 
we say "the cat in the hat" or "the man from U.N.C.L.E."? Qanqor has 
written an article on it and your solution as the one he liked, but 
I don't use it.

> 2) Qe' lu'el nawloghvo' cha' yaS

I'd say 

Qe' lu'el cha' nawlogh yaS

which could also be "The officers of two squadrons..."
If the differnce was important, I'd say {Qe' lu'el cha' yaS.  nawlogh yaS chaH.}

> 3) Qe' lu'el cha' nawloghvo' yaSpu'

Qe' lu'el cha' nawlogh yaS

"Two squadron officers ..."
or
"Officers of two squadrons ..."

To disambiguate I'd say {cha' nawlogh wa'maH yaS}. The ten 
officers of two squadrons, or I'd write differnt sentences.

In English you can't tell whether number three is the same as 
number one (were the squadrons composed only of officers?)
In Klingon number three might be the same as number two.

yISIQ.

Qov     [email protected]
Beginners' Grammarian                 



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