tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Jan 19 13:30:52 2003
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RE: "to be" and plurals
> >But I was wonder, about this and similar sentences, what
> happens when you
> >add
> >a number type element?
> >
> >cha 'oH.
> >wej cha 'oH/bIH. ?
> >
> >Because if you merely used the number in place of the noun, which is
> >allowed,
> >wej bIH. ?
>
> But should you even use numbers with inherent plurals? As I recall, the
> inherent plurals refer to things considered as a single unit/group (can't
> remember where I read this); therefore using a number with them
> would seem
> to be a contradiction.
>
> If I wanted to say, for example, 'Launch three volleys of torpedoes', I
> would not say
>
> wej cha yIbaH
>
> but rather I would recast and say
>
> wejlogh cha yIbaH
>
> Of course, this implies that the launchings are not simultaneous, but if
> they were and were being fired at different ships, I could say:
>
> Hoch Duj cha yIbaH
>
> If they were being fired at the smae ship from different parts of my ship:
>
> poSvo' nIHvo' 'etvo' je cha yIbaH
>
> If they were being fired at the same ship from the same part of my ship
> simultaneously, {cha} by itself would do.
>
> It just seems to me that numbers with inherent plurals shouldn't
> work. If
> you want to use numbers, it would seem you're talking about them as
> individual members of the group, not as a single group.
Your sentences don't specify any numerical value other than "multiple".
What if the captain orders you to fire three torpedoes?
[wej cha] or if we shouldn't put numbers on inherently plurals, [wej peng]?
DloraH