tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 07 14:20:56 2008
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Re: "Numeric" nouns?
Voragh:
> > >>I wouldn't include the nouns {cha'puj} and {cha'pujqut} with the examples
> > >>of the number {cha'}. But it is an example of how numbers can combine to
> > >>form compound nouns.
> >
> >Another example is {loSpev} "quadrotriticale".
> >
> >Interesting that they're both "scientific" sounding names. Interesting too
> >that the other (second) morpheme in these - *{puj} (some sort of mineral?)
> >and *{pev} (lobe [of grain]?) - are unattested separately as nouns, though
lay'tel SIvten:
>{loSpev} and {cha'puj} are only "scientific"-sounding nouns in English. They
>sound pretty ordinary to me in Klingon.
Well, "scientific" in the sense that scientists freely coin expressions
that combine numbers and nouns: e.g. dilithium, quadrotriticale,
percentage, etc. The existence of *{cha'puj}, {loSpev} and {vatlhvI'} is a
hint that something similar may occur in Klingon. Would *{cha'Hov} or
*{cha'Hovghom} be an accepted neologism for "binary star" or at least
understandable?
For example, how would a Klingon science officer refer to quintotriticale,
mentioned in the animated episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles"? (Even if
it's a completely unknown grain to Klingons, he has to call it something in
his report to his captain.) *{vaghpev} perhaps? See the WikiPedia article
on Triticale:
Triticale in fiction
The popular TV series Star Trek and more specifically the episode "The
Trouble with Tribbles" revolved around the protection of a grain developed
from triticale, i.e. 'quadrotriticale'. A later episode (in the animated
series) dealt with 'quintotriticale'. These two grains exist only in the
realm of Star Trek. In addition, the video game Metroid Prime makes referral
to 'deca-triticale'. (There is an inexplicit link within these names to the
crops ploidy level, i.e. a specific characteristic of the genome.)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrotriticale>
Deca-triticale though has me stumped. *{wa'maHpev}? Is *{maHpev}
possible? We know that {vatlh} "hundred" can occur separately - e.g.
{vatlh DIS poH} "century" - and {vatlhvI'} "percent" *may* indicate it can
form compound nouns: {vatlh} + {vI'} "decimal point".
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons