[tlhIngan Hol] {moch} in noun-noun constructions

mayqel qunen'oS mihkoun at gmail.com
Thu Mar 19 05:09:56 PDT 2020


lieven:
> In this case, I think that {moch Qel} does not work that way. It seems
> like a parallel to {veSDuj} "warship" or "ship of war" but it feels odd,
> because in {veSDuj} the word {veS} somehow includes the purpose of
> {Duj}, but the way you intend this, a {moch Qel} is not a Qel serving a
> moch.

Interesting opinion. On the other hand though, we have the {baS 'In}
for "metal drum, bell", where the {baS} doesn't include the purpose of
{'In}, since the purpose of the drum isn't to be metal. The only
difference that I see between the {moch Qel} and {baS 'in}, is that
reading the {baS 'In} as "drum of metal" makes sense without altering
the intended meaning, while reading the {moch Qel} as "doctor of the
superior", produces quite a different meaning than "superior (in
hierarchy) doctor".

Anyway, I thought of something else.. Perhaps if we reversed the order
of the noun-noun construction could do the trick..

Suppose I wrote {maqlegh moch}; this construction could be read in
either one of the following two ways:

1. "the priestess superior"; there is a superior.. what kind of
superior ? a priestess superior, i.e. perhaps something like a high
priestess.

2. "the superior of the priestess"; and here's the interesting part..
Since the {moch} describes someone superior within a hierarchy, then
it stands to reason, that the "superior of the priestess" will be a
priestess too. So, given the right context, we could have again the
meaning of a "high priestess".

Perhaps this would be the way to go..

~ mayqel qunen'oS



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