tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 15 06:50:38 2000
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Re: Grammar Highlight Each Day (numbers)
- From: "Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Grammar Highlight Each Day (numbers)
- Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 09:49:51 -0500
> The number comes right in front of the noun.
This statement seems a bit irresponsible. It's your opening description
and reads like an absolute. Not all numbers are placed before the noun
they modify. This statement is true of **counting** numbers, but not
true of:
ordinal numbers (e.g., <qep'a' SochDIch>, the seventh conference) where
the number the follows the noun.
frequency numbers (e.g., <cha'logh jIHoH>, I've died twice) in which the
sentence may contain no noun.
label numbers (e.g., <QujwI' vagh>,Player 5) where the number functions
as a name.
Counting numbers are but one form of numbers. You know that, and I know
you know that. I'm not suggesting that you need to go into all the forms
in an initial post, far from it. That kind of information overload is
one of the weaknesses of TKD and would defeat your purpose. Bite-size
lessons are good. However, laying doing rules which, in the absence of
any stated limitations, suggest absolute rules has a lot of damage
potential. It's harder to unlearn unintended wrong information than to
learn new information.
So, please, in the future, be more specific with respect to what your
describing. If you'd said "*counting* numbers come right in front of the
noun." I wouldn't be waving counter examples as you.
One of the biggest dangers of teaching is forgetting how expert you are.
Things that you take for granted are still opaque to your students. Only
the chu'wI'pu' will experience any confusion by your statement, the rest
of us will know what you really meant. Unfortunately, it's precisely
those begginers that you're targetting as an audience.
So, post a replacement proverb and let's move on.
Okay, I'm done.
(climbing down from soapbox)
Lawrence