[tlhIngan Hol] using {ngan} as a suffix {ngan} as the suffix {-ngan}

SuStel sustel at trimboli.name
Wed Jan 26 16:43:28 PST 2022


On 1/26/2022 7:16 PM, Iikka Hauhio wrote:
> ghunchu'wI':
>
>     No. Leaving out spaces is not what makes a compound noun
>     “legitimate”. Being a common combination is what grants it its own
>     dictionary entry. Things like {ropyaH qach} for “hospital” and
>     {'Iw HIq} for “bloodwine” are lexicalized terms because they have
>     a specific meaning when the words are used together, regardless of
>     whether or not they remain separated by a space when used.
>
>
> You must have misunderstood me. *'Iw HIq* and *ropyaH qach *are 
> lexicalized, I haven't denied that. Both compounds are included in a 
> dictionary, so they both are legitimate (this is Okrand's definition 
> of "legitimate").

As De'vID has just pointed out, the term "compound" has a specific 
meaning in TKD: it refers to complex nouns formed by putting together 
two or more other nouns. *jolpa'* is a compound; *'Iw HIq* is not.


> My argument was that they should be written without space: in TKD 
> Okrand says that legitimate copounds don't have a space.

Which means that a noun-noun like *'Iw HIq* is not a compound noun, not 
that it can't appear as a "legitimate" entry in a dictionary.


>
> SuStel:
>
>     You're saying that the current usage is not consistent. I
>     completely agree. There are examples of compound nouns I wouldn't
>     expect to be compounded, and examples of noun-nouns that I could
>     easily imagine being compounded.
>
>     You're saying there are possible ways to write consistently.
>     Again, I agree. We could make up our own rules to cover all
>     situations. And we/do/have our own rules: we have developed a
>     convention whereby we do not invent our own compounds, and any
>     genitive nouns get a space before their head nouns; only Okrand
>     can invent compounds. It's not always consistent with what Okrand
>     has done, but as you AND Okrand both admit, Okrand himself hasn't
>     been consistent.
>
> Great that we agree. There doesn't seem to be any dispute between us 
> anymore.

maj! I'm glad we can agree that the convention to distinguish between 
compound nouns and noun-noun constructions with punctuation is a 
reasonable one.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name
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