SuStel:

> muberghmoHchu' Doch lulo'qu'bogh 

> ghot. Doch Daqelbogh tIngu'!

Often, I want to say something like "this doesn't concern this matter", or "because of that which we discussed previously".

I know that to express "matter", we have the noun {Soj}, but it *feels* too informal.

Soj is not slang, it's just idiomatic. It's probably only as informal as saying on the other hand or beating a dead horse.

Of course, {Doch} doesn't sound too "formal" either, but for some reason I can't identify, it just *feels* better.

Abusing the word thing is something English teachers try to beat out of students, for good reason. I would do the same for Doch.

My wife calls half the objects in our house "the thing," and it drives me crazy.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name