qunnoH, look at other words for groups of people and how possessive suffixes (WRT capability of using language) are used with them: qorDu'wIj quvmo' jImaghpu' qorDu'wIj quvqa'moHlu'meH jIvang vIneH The reason of my betrayal was my family honor, I want to restore this honor. (PB) NB: {qorDu'wIj} not *{qorDu'wI'} - both times. pInaDqu' tuqlIj wInaDqu' je Glory to you and your house. ("We praise you highly; we also praise your house highly.") KGT NB: {tuqlIj} not *{tuqlI'}. Qo'noS tuqmey muvchuqmoH qeylIS Kahless united the tribes of Kronos (PB) NB: {tuqmey} not *{tuqpu'}. qeylIS loDnI' 'opleS chovan tuqmaj vIDevmo' One day, brother Kahless, you will bow before me as leader of our house. PB NB: {tuqmaj} not *{tuqma'}. jaghpu'ra' bopujmoHtaHvIS, ghur tuqmeyraj quv. Honor will rise in your houses as you bring your enemies to their knees. MKE NB: {tuqmeyraj} not *{tuqpu'ra'} - two such suffixes (a "twofer"). --Voragh On 12/29/2016 9:43 AM, mayqel qunenoS wrote: if we are talking about 10 species of aliens, all capable of speech, then do we say {Hoch mutpu' vISov} or {Hoch mutmey vISov} ? A mut is not a thing capable of using language. Its members are, but it is not. It is an abstraction. -- SuStel http://trimboli.name