[tlhIngan Hol] Apposition on wI'-nouns

Lieven L. Litaer levinius at gmx.de
Sat Feb 22 01:03:46 PST 2020


Am 21.02.2020 um 18:42 schrieb SuStel:
> The word is /genitive./ The first noun [...]
>
> *bIQ bal* /water jug
[...]
> Apposition, on the other hand, is where two nouns or noun phrases are
> side by side, and one further identifies the other.

Okay, I think I understand. But how is the following interpreted then?

We were told the word {wab labwI'} means "radio". We were also told that
if it was need to distinguish the broadcaster from the device, you may
add {jan}.

Expanding this, I could probably say {wab labwI' qach}, {wab labwI'
malja'}, {wab labwI' loD}... etc.

The second part of this nn-construction might be labeled as "identifier".

I may even accept that it's still a genetive construction, BUT why is it
turned around?

For instance, in {bIQ bal} the identifier comes first: WATER bottle
instead of "BEER bottle".

In the phrase {wab labwI' jan}, it's not {wab labwI'} identifiying the
kind of {jan}, it's the {jan} word which is telling you what kind of
{wab labwI'} you talk about. In addition to thins thought, {wab labwI'}
CAN stand alone and still mean the same when context is clear. If the
word {bIQ} stands alone, it is never connected to the idea of a bottle,
but {bal} is.

Compare this:

{wab labwI' vIpoQ. wab labwI' jan vIpoQ.}
I need a radio. I mean, a radio DEVICE.

{bal vIpoQ. bIQ bal vIpoQ.}
"I need a bottle. I mean, a WATER bottle"

See the difference?

Now this is my serious question:
Where is the difference? And does it have a name?
--
Lieven L. Litaer
aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany"
http://www.klingonisch.de
http://www.klingonwiki.net/En/Apposition



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