tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 24 16:55:02 2009
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Re: pu'jIn
Christopher Doty wrote:
>> It says "(building) plan/map making science." First, I have to figure
>> out what you mean by "(building)." If I just saw {pu'jIn chenmoHghach
>> QeD}, I'd think "cartography." Now, one might think of "building
>> cartography" as "architecture," but it didn't come to my mind
>> immediately. If someone told you out of the blue that he practices
>> "building cartography," you'd at least have to pause to figure out what
>> he meant.
>
> You've assumed for this that pu'jIn really means map, and is only by
> extension used to refer to building plans. If the two meanings are
> equal, there's no reason to prefer
Okay, let's make everything work better by talking about the person
rather than the science. A {pu'jIn chenmoHwI'} is a person who makes
diagrams of places or things. So a {qach pu'jIn chenmoHwI'}, is a
building that makes diagrams of places or things. :)
No, we have to reorganize the way we parse these nouns. It's not about a
kind of {pu'jIn chenmoHwI'}, it's about the maker of {qach pu'jIn}. That
makes more sense.
Loading up on nouns in a noun phrase may make logical sense, but it's
often difficult to parse.
>> TKD 3.4: The noun–noun construction
>> Some combinations of two (or more) nouns in a row are so common as to
>> have become everyday words. These are the compound nouns (as
>> discussed in section 3.2.1). In addition, it is possible to combine
>> nouns in the manner of a compound noun to produce a new construct
>> even if it is not a legitimate compound noun ("legitimate" in the
>> sense that it would be found in a dictionary.)
>> [Then the discussion of how the noun–noun construction works.]
>>
>> In other words, compound nouns appear in dictionaries. To make your own
>> compounds, use the noun–noun construction.
>> In addition, Okrand doesn't use compound nouns in sentences unless he's
>> already put the compound noun in the word lists, or explicitly tells us
>> it's a word. When he wants one noun to modify another noun (i.e., to
>> play a genitive role), he uses the noun–noun construction. For instance,
>> KGT gives us {baS 'In} "metal drum," not *{baS'In}.
>>
>> There are a couple of words he waffles on. I believe we have both
>> {ro'qegh 'Iwchab} and {ro'qegh'Iwchab}, for example. In cases like this
>> we must assume that either is correct; we cannot "enforce" the use of
>> one over the other.
>
> ** ... it is possible to combine nouns in the manner of a compound
> noun to produce a new construct even if it is not a legitimate
> compound noun ("legitimate" in the sense that it would be found in a
> dictionary.)**
>
> To me, this means that nouns can be strung together at will, assuming
> that the sense is reasonable.
>
> Perhaps we're having an issue with "compound" versus "noun-noun." I
> don't honestly see a difference, but I'm fully willing to admit that
> what I said above wasn't a compound: sure, it doesn't occur in
> dictionaries. But it is a perfectly valid noun-noun(-noun etc.)
> construction.
A noun–noun construction is formed as {X Y}, not {XY}. There is a space
between the nouns; they are separate words. A compound noun is a single
word.
What you said *is* a perfectly valid noun–noun construction when {QeD}
is its own word.
So yes, you can string nouns together at will as separate nouns in
noun–noun constructions, but you cannot form compound nouns at will;
those must come from dictionaries.
>> Easy there, buddy! I'm on your side.
>
> Well, sorry, then. I've gotten rather used to being attacked on here,
> so I just assumed that you were doing the same. Again, apologies.
meqlIj vIyaj 'ej vIpIHpu'. qay'be'.
--
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