In a noun-noun construction, when introducing a preceding quantifier such as {'op} or {Hoch}, is it better to put it in front of the whole phrase as in a) below, or in front of the second element, as in b)?

In this example, I am trying to say "Some Klingon sentences", would that be:

a) {'op tlhIngan Hol mu'tlheghmey}

     or

b) {tlhIngan Hol 'op mu'tlheghmey}

Sentence a) could be misinterpreted as "sentences of some Klingon languages". This is also the reason why I am tending to choose b).

I find that it helps to think of the phrase in "weapon's secret" form rather than "secret of the weapon" form. The latter can trip you up with alternative meanings; the former is pretty much guaranteed to match the sense of the Klingon, though it may not always be the most colloquial English.

Given that, I'd go for a). Each first noun (phrase) modifies and constricts the second noun (phrase). Klingon some sentences doesn't get constricted in a way I'm comfortable with; some Klingon sentences does.

Now, there's no guarantee that Klingon's noun-noun constructions have to match the sense you get with the English translation, but I think there's a reason beyond English convention that some Klingon sentences makes sense while Klingon some sentences does not. I think the correct-sounding one, in some way I can't express, more correctly narrows down the meaning than the other one. It's the same with the noun suffixes: they appear in the order they do for linguistic reasons; it's not an arbitrary order.

All that said, it's true that either order could be said to LOGICALLY arrive at the same thing: some of the set of Klingon sentences versus the set of some sentences that are Klingon. So while I definitely prefer a) over b), I can't definitively say that b) is wrong.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name