tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 04 11:20:29 2002

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Re: quantification



ghuy'Do wrote:
>On the other hand, it's not at all clear what -'a' and -Hom might mean on
>units of measure. The only Terran analog I can think of is Dutch
>momentje, the diminutive of moment, "a very brief period of time", "an

We have one example of {-'a'} on a unit of measure: the {'uj'a'}, a unit of 
linear measure, about 3.15 m.  charghwI' interviewed Okrand and reported 
IIRC in HolQeD:

   "There is a unit of measure called ('uj'a'}. It is nine times longer than an
    {'uj} [about 35 cm. (KGT)]. I wondered if an {'ujHom} would be one ninth of
    an {'uj}.  Okrand explicitly said that no such measurement existed."

That's it.  {-'a'} works with {'uj}, but {-Hom} doesn't.

>instant", but moment is a generic term. What is lupHom? Could it be the next
>standard unit of time smaller than a second -- maybe milliseconds. Or is it a
>full second that just doesn't count. There are no conventions there, so usage

How this works with other units of measurement (qelI'qam, loghqam, 
tlho'ren, etc.) or time (lup, tup, rep, etc.) - or even *if* it works with 
other units - is unknown.  And if it does, we also don't know whether 
{-'a'} routinely raises the measurement by a factor of nine, or if the 
difference varies according to the unit in question (as I suspect).

Since Maltz is a science officer, he should be able to explain the Klingon 
system of measurements in considerable detail... that is, if he ever 
chooses to.


-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons



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