tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Sep 25 06:53:06 1997

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{QongDaq} as a compound noun? (was Re: KLBC: -ghach)



ja' peHruS:
>...I wish to point out that while we do not have a gloss for a
>noun counterpart for {Qong} we do have strong evidence that {Qong} is also a
>noun.  MO has pointed out that {QongDaq}, "bed", is a compound noun which
>uses an archaic noun {Qong} which is now lost and not used in modern speech.

nuqjatlh?

When and where did he explain this?  The only "archaic noun" sort of 
explanation I'm aware of is in reference to {*nal}, which appears to 
have a definite nounlike meaning but is never found by itself, at 
least not in "modern Klingon".

I know that Marc Okrand has *speculated* that there might have been
nouns that have been lost except within compounds; TKD points to the 
words {'ejDo'} and {'ejyo'} as clues that {'ej} could be an ancient 
word for "star" (though {Do'} here remains mysterious).  But in the 
specific case of {QongDaq}, there are other likely possibilities for 
its origin.  It could be a corrupted {QongmeH Daq} or {QongwI' Daq}.
It could even be a contraction of an ancient formula for "place in 
which he sleeps."  We know corruptions occur and are lexicalized; the 
noun {qa'meH} definitely has its origin in a pair of verb suffixes.

If Okrand said {Qong} used to be a noun but isn't anymore, that's ok,
but I don't remember reading it.  Where should I look?

-- ghunchu'wI'



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