[tlhIngan Hol] {'e' qa'} "instead of" with quotations

[Steven Boozer]

Thanks for the quotation.  

Lieven & De'vId, is there similar confusion in colloquial or regional German between "es gibt" and "es geben"?  For that matter, are there any contractions of verb forms at all?  There are in Yiddish, cf. for example https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/48848424/contractions-in-yiddish 

Voragh

------------------------------Original Message------------------------------
From: tlhIngan-Hol On Behalf Of Lieven L. Litaer

SuStel:
> I don't remember Okrand comparing English /there's/ referring to a 
> plural noun. You wouldn't do this in formal English, and even in 
> casual conversation saying something like /there's ships in orbit/ 
> might be noticed, though it's unlikely anyone but a stickler would comment on it.

It was in a message forwarded by Qov where Okrand wrote:
"This kind of parallels what's going on in English these days (at least in the US -- I don't know about Canada or the UK) where "there's" is often used regardless of whether what follows is singular or plural:

    - There's no tomatoes in the store. "

Read full quote here:
http://klingon.wiki/En/ThereIs