Am 02.04.2019 um 03:08 schrieb qurgh lungqIj:
No, I think a kitten is a {vIghro'Hom}, because a kitten isn't just a "small cat" {vIghro' mach}, it's a lesser form of a cat. :)
{-Hom} never means "small" by itself, there's always something else involved as well.
This is only partially true; you should remember how it's described in TKD, indicating that size can also be a possibility: ------------- TKD 3.3.1: This suffix indicates that what the noun refers to is BIGGER, more important, or more powerful than it would be without the suffix. [...] This is the opposite of the augmentative suffix. It indicates that what the noun refers to is SMALLER, less important, or less powerful than it would be without the suffix. ------------- (capitalized emphasis added) That means that both sides are right: Words like {be'Hom} do not refer to size only, but words like {bo'DaghHom} prove that a simple size comparison can make sense too. I guess that from the Klingon point of view, there is no problem anyway. A native speaker recognizes the context, and knows the words. Think of the German word {Mädchen} for "girl". This is derived from {Magd} "woman" plus diminutve suffix {-chen}, but everyone knows it means "girl", not "short woman". Also, when talking about mammels in biology, the word "Männchen" is derived from {Mann} "man, male" plus diminutve suffix {-chen}, but everyone knows it means "male", not "short man". On the other hand, the German suffix {-chen} can be attached to any word in German, and depending on context, it can simply mean "small version of something". -- Lieven L. Litaer aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany" http://www.klingonisch.de http://www.klingonwiki.net/En/Type1NounSuffixes