tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 22 09:45:03 2011
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Inherently plural nouns and numbers
ghunchu'wI':
>> I can think of only one thing that's even slightly relevant to
>> the question. "Always trust your instincts" is translated as {Duj
>> tIvoqtaH} in TKD's appendix, and "Trust your instincts" is
>> translated as {DujlIj yIvoq} in KGT. Apparently {Duj} can be
>> construed as inherently plural and thus grammatically singular,
>> but it doesn't have to be.
bI'reng:
> TKD: I think this is more a case of leaving off the plural ending and
> letting the verb prefix indicate the noun's number.
>
> As for KGT, it may seem strange to say "Always trust your instinct" in
> English (what? I have just one?), but I see no reason why the concept
> of instinct has to be plural. How many times do we say things like "I
> know it by instinct"? Not instincts, not one particular instinct, just
> instinct.
lughlaw' ghunchu'wI':
TKW 27: The Klingon word for "instincts" is {Duj}, and it is grammatically correct to treat it as singular (a bundle or collection of instincts) or plural (individual instincts).
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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