[tlhIngan Hol] Is Quv singular or plural ?

[SuStel]

On 8/9/2017 10:50 AM, mayqel qunenoS wrote:
> I meant, is {Quv} inherently singular or plural ? The way that {pIgh} 
> "ruins" is inherently singular ? (if I remember correctly).

The question is really, does *Quv* represent multiple things packaged 
together in a single noun, or just one thing?

Imagine a map with a grid system on it. There is a point on the map. You 
can read the grid system to identify the exact position on the map. The 
reading you get is the *Quv.* Is that the reading or the sum of separate 
readings? In English, it depends on which word we use. If we call that 
/coordinates,/ we're saying it's the combination of an x-coordinate and 
a y-coordinate (or whatever coordinate system you're using); it's plural 
because we're talking about a measurement with multiple components. If 
we call that /position,/ we're saying it's the unique representation on 
the map as measured with the grid system. That's singular, because the 
components are not being described.

So we don't really know whether *Quv* is a collective noun or not, but 
it's not really important. The only time its collectiveness or not would 
be important is when someone wants to explicitly add a *-mey* to the 
word, which is usually optional anyway. I believe it is not a collective 
noun, because in addition to making perfect sense as a singular concept, 
we're not given a separate, singular form of it. There is no separate 
noun /coordinate./ I think the confusion simply comes from the way 
English uses the word. I think *Quvmey* refers to multiple points on a 
grid, and they don't have to be scattered all about.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name

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