On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 10:56 AM SuStel <sustel@trimboli.name> wrote:

On 3/18/2020 10:42 AM, mayqel qunen'oS wrote:

We have the noun {moch} which means "(the) superior".

I wonder, whether we could use it in noun-noun constructions as {moch Qelpu'}/{moch maqleghpu'}, to say things like "the superior doctors"/"the superior priests", i.e. the doctors/priests who are of higher rank.

The problem is, that reading {moch Qelpu'}, I understand {the doctors of the superior}, whatever the @!#! this means..

Don't confuse the translation Y of the X with a more genitive meaning where Y is narrowed to the sense of X.

moch Qel. It's a doctor. What sort of doctor? A higher-rank doctor.

I wouldn't expect moch to participate much in noun-noun constructions like this. It would typically stand alone or be the head noun. ja'chuq Qel mochDaj je The doctor and his/her superior confer. lagh ra' Sogh mochDaj The ensign is ordered by his lieutenant superior.

I'd probably interpret moch Qel as a possessive phrase: "the superior's (or superiors') doctor".

Sure. But the question is what does it mean as a non-possessive noun-noun construction.

mayqel: If you're trying to express the notion of "superior", there's the verb nIv "be superior". Qelpu' nIv "superior doctors", maqleghpu' nIv "superior priests"

He's not looking for nIv; he's trying to figure out what moch X would mean if not a possessive construction.

Remember how mayqel does things: he's not searching for a way to say something; he puts together some words and asks what they would mean.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name