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