[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: puS

[Will Martin]

I think these English words are less vague than they are evasive of their accuracy.

The term “a couple” is two. It doesn’t sound as precise as two, but it really is two.

“several” is three or four. Two is already covered by "a couple", and and five is covered by “a handful”.

“half a dozen” is six.

So, I read {puS} as “3-5”.

But it bothers me that it says “be few” instead of saying “be a few”.

To me “be few” just feels very, very different.

“I have a few apples” is just a statement about having three or four, or less commonly five apples.

But “I have few apples” loads the statement with a disappointed expectation. One might expect me to have a bunch of apples, but nope. I don’t. I have few.

If you expected me to say that I was out of apples, “I have a few apples” could reassure you that I’m not out yet, but “I have few apples” feels more like a warning that if you want one, you better act fast. It just emphasizes what it is NOT. It is NOT a LOT. “Being a few” doesn’t carry that subjective baggage, and the rest of the gloss feels more like “be a few” than it feels like “be few”.

Of course, this is just my subjective opinion.

In other words, does {puS} = {law’be’} or {law’Ha’}?

charghwI’ ‘utlh
(ghaH, ghaH, -Daj)

> On May 24, 2021, at 8:51 PM, Melanie Roney <nahqun at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Aren't "be few" and "be several" opposites? 
> 
> ~Melanie Roney
> Sent from my Palm Prē
> 
> On Sat, May 22, 2021, 11:00 Klingon Word of the Day <kwotd at wizage.net <mailto:kwotd at wizage.net>> wrote:
> Klingon Word of the Day for Saturday, May 22, 2021
> 
> Klingon word: puS
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: be few, be several, be a handful
> Source: TKD
> 
> 
> This Klingon Word of the Day is brought to you by qurgh (qurgh at kli.org <mailto:qurgh at kli.org>).
> 
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