]On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 1:17 AM, Anthony Appleyard < a.appleyard@btinternet.com> wrote:
How does this query apply to birds such as parrots, which repeat speech but do not know what it means? Or to animals that have a complicated repertoire of noises which can convey various meanings?
See Marc Okrand's comments in HolQeD 10:4, {matlh jupna' mu'mey}, regarding birds:
The plural suffix for birds is usually {-mey}, the general plural suffix, as would be expected. There is a difference of opinion, however, about which plural suffix to use for a few birds capable of mimicking speech, such as the {vIlInHoD} and the {qaryoq} (and the larger {qaryoq'a'}), with some Klingons using {-mey} but others preferring{-pu'}, the plural suffix for beings capable of using language. Maltz is a member of the former camp; he said he was never able to engage a{qaryoq} in a conversation that made any sense.
I would treat possessive suffixes similarly. -- ghunchu'wI'