tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Oct 22 15:59:03 2000
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RE: fractions
>> It is common in English to call 2/3 "two over 3"
>> Could we not refer to a fraction this way in Klingon?
>>
>> e.g.. cha' Dung jav
ja' DloraH:
>Dung is a noun, not a verb, so what you have written here is a noun-noun
>combination.
>The "area above" belongs to "two". "two's area above". This would make
>"two" the denominator.
>
>The same continues when you attach jav (which is 6, not 3) to the noun Dung.
>"the area above's six", "six of the area above".
>
>So [cha' Dung jav] would be a noun group about 6. Which six? The 6 of the
>area above of 2.
It's not even quite that easy. There's are specific interpretations that
apply when you put numbers in front of or after nouns. <number-noun> is
telling how many <noun> there are, and <noun-number> tells which of a
series of numbered <noun> you are referring to. {cha' Dung jav} could
easily be saying "number six of two overhead-areas", whatever that means.
-- ghunchu'wI' 'utlh