tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jun 05 15:40:53 2002
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RE: Picture of desktop in English, tlhIngan & piqad
Peter wrote:
> >If "edit visual display data" is what you mean, use the simple imperative:
> >
> > HaSta De' yIchoH!
> > Change (alter) visual display data.
> >
> > HaSta yIchoH!
> > Change the display.
> >
> >What does this button do?
>
>It launches Macromedia Fireworks (image editing software)
Ah. Since we have no word for image/picture, you have change (edit) the
data, not the actual image. Another option is {ta} "file":
HaSta ta yIchoH!
Change the visual display file (image file?).
> >>qawHaq is already plural, "data banks". /qawHaqmey/ I guess would be
> >>multiple groups of [data banks (plural)].
> >
> >I'm not sure what's supposed to happen when you click this button, but
> >why not keep it simple and use the imperative again:
> >
> > qawHaq yInaw'
> > Access data (memory) banks.
>
>It launches Internet Explorer. Which connects to multiple memory databanks.
I see your reasoning, but {qawHaq} appears to be another of those
inherently plural (though grammatically singular) nouns, like {negh}
"warriors, soldiers" or {Quv} "coordinates". AFAIK we've never seen an
inherently plural noun take a plural suffix to refer to multiple
sets. (BTW we don't do this in English either. Only a child or foreigner
would ever say *scissorses, *pantses or *coordinateses.)
If you -really- want to the user to know that there's more than one set of
data banks available, use {puS} or {Hoch}:
qawHaq puS yInaw'
access several data banks
Hoch qawHaq yInaw'
access all data banks
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons