tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Nov 09 12:10:55 2000

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RE: Grammar Highlight Each Day


peHruS:
> >To make a noun which refers to a being not capable of language plural,
add
> >the suffix -mey.

Qov:
> Hey there.  So far I've read two postings this month, and they've both
been
> attacks on this perfectly true statement.
>
[Qov's excellent diagram and explanation snipped for brevity]
>
> The first is TKD/ghunchu'wI'/Holtej's take on the matter.  The second is
> peHruS'.  Granted it's more complex, but maybe he and some of the
> people he teaches find it easier to remember.

If I may take what I believe to be a middle ground here.  I think
Qov is right.  But I think Holtej and ghunchu'wI' are also right.

Of course, {-mey} is used to make the plural of non-language-using
beings, among other things.  So peHruS' description is, technically
speaking, correct.

But, I also agree with what I believe to be Holtej's and
ghunchu'wI''s objection, which is that the lessons when taken in
isolation are confusing.  A person who just joined the list and
saw the above as his or her first message might very well get the
mistaken impression that there is a category of plurals that
are "beings not capable of language" which has its own special
plural suffix.

The problem lies in the nature of these lessons, which require
extra care when formatted for a daily mailing list such as this
one.  A simple fix to the problem might be to add an introduction
to each message recapping the previous lesson(s), for example:

"Recall that in the previous lesson we learned that the suffix
{-pu'} is used to make the plural of beings capable of using
language.  In this lesson, we learn that to make the plural of
beings not capable of using language, the suffix {-mey} is used..."

And then, perhaps in a later lesson where the suffix {-mey} is
used to make other plurals, you could have something like:

"Recall that in lesson x.y.z, we learned that {-mey} is
used to make the plural of beings not capable of using language.
In this lesson, we learn some other uses of {-mey}..."

The point is that there should be some kind of continuity.  You
can't assume that the reader will know the context of all the
previous lessons, because he or she could have just started
today.  It might also help if peHruS webbed up all the previous
lessons somewhere so a learner can refer back to them.

jIchup neH.  jIHIvbe'.

--
De'vID

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