Are we certain that {toyDal} and {to'} form one of these irregular singular-plural pairs, like {jengva'} and {ngop}? It seems to me that the concept of "tactics" is potentially distinct from simply the plural form of "tactic"; it is more of a framework or a field of study. {to' qelDI' SIj martaq 'ach 'ejyo' toyDalmey HaDta' ghawran. vaj Qu'vamvaD nIv ghawran.} //loghaD ________________________________ From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces@lists.kli.org> on behalf of Lieven L. Litaer via tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org> Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 12:12:43 PM To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org Cc: Lieven L. Litaer Subject: Re: [tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: toyDal (noun) Am 21.05.2026 um 17:56 schrieb SuStel via tlhIngan-Hol:
I don't see why we don't call these "inherently singular nouns."
Because that is a term that was not used in TKD. Section 3.3.2 says: "Finally, some nouns in Klingon are inherently or always plural in meaning, [...]" and then: "The singular counterparts of such words are utterly distinct:" and "The singular forms may take the {-mey} suffix, [...]" Going further (I might be wrong, I am not a linguist), the word "inherently plural" roughly means that a noun includes a plural meaning (in Klingon, not in English). Reversing this definition would mean that a "inherently singular noun" is ONLY singular. But TKD clearly says that those singular forms can take plural suffixes, and also "The plural suffixes are not necessary when a number is used." So, short: an inherent plural noun is ALWAYS plural. Its singular form CAN be singular but also plural. That's why it's not an "inherently singular noun".
-----Original Message----- From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces@lists.kli.org> On Behalf Of Steven Boozer via tlhIngan-Hol Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2026 11:46 AM To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org Cc: Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu> Subject: Re: [tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: toyDal (noun)
Klingon word: toyDal Part of speech: noun Definition: tactic Source: qep'a' 28 [2021] _______________________________________________
This is the singular form of an inherently plural noun. _______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org
-- Lieven L. Litaer aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany" https://tlhInganHol.com https://klingon.wiki/En/InherentPlural _______________________________________________ tlhIngan-Hol mailing list tlhIngan-Hol@lists.kli.org http://lists.kli.org/listinfo.cgi/tlhingan-hol-kli.org ________________________________ Observera att avs?ndaren inte ?r anst?lld vid Kungliga Tekniska h?gskolan. KTH ansvarar inte f?r ?sikter, p?st?enden eller personuppgifter som f?rmedlas i detta meddelande. Please note that the sender is not employed by KTH Royal Institute of Technology. KTH is not responsible for the opinions, claims or personal data conveyed in this message.