TGV/MGV - Lesson 27
Ba-|Iyi-Gol-Vuhlkansu - Tupa 27

FORMING DIMINUTIVES & AUGMENTATIVES
Shidoraya t'Pinu-Zhitlar heh Hayat-Zhitlar

This is the third lesson that directly comes from requests of students. Several students basically wanted to know how TGV and MGV speakers turn a normal word into something that makes it diminished/cuter/etc. or bigger/stronger/etc., hence the formation of diminutives and augmentatives.

In FSE, there are a number of things you can do to make a thing smaller or diminutive. Obviously, you can use adjectives, like "small", "little, "tiny", "wee", "microscopic", etc., to modify a noun. FSE also has a number of suffixes which can mean something is smaller (or cuter, perhaps). For example, "~let" as in "piglet", "~ette" as in "kitchenette", etc.

In FSE, though, there is essentially only one way you can make a thing bigger or augmentative, and that is to use adjectives, like "big", "giant", "huge", "enormous", etc.

In TGV and MGV, you will be using a variety of sizing adjectives in a combining form to make diminutives and augmentatives. Do not confuse these word forms with their true adjective counterparts, which all end in an " ' " (apostrophe or ulef-pekhaya). The notes and vocabulary below will help you to form these words.


Vocabulary
Zhit-Feim

pi- little, small, etc.
mapi- very little, very small, tiny, etc.
numo- microscopic, smaller than the eye can normally see

suk- big, large, etc.
masuk- gigantic, huge, very big indeed, etc.
eksuk- exceedingly big, almost too big to be described


Forming Diminutives
Shidoraya t'Pinu-Zhitlar

To make a normal noun something diminished and/or cuter, you affix the appropriate >pi-<, >mapi-< or >numo-< to the word. Let's use the word >kushel< (bird) as an example.

pi-kushel = a little or small bird, which can mean size, maturity and/or suggest a level of cuteness or affection.
mapi-kushel = a very little or very small bird, which can mean it is very young, a hatchling and/or suggest a level of extreme cuteness or affection.
numo-kushel = an insignificant bird, one that is so small that it is almost not worth mentioning, but can also mean that it is a bird that is totally adorable.

Parents, close relatives or intimate friends might use a diminutive as a sign of cuteness and/or affection with a proper name. For example, >pi-T'lar< would be the way to diminuate >T'lar< (something like "Li'l T'lar"). Be careful to not use diminutives with adult names, as this is nearly always considered very offensive, unless between two bonded people.

One must be careful when using a diminutive with some words or in some contexts, because it can be taken as an insult or offense. For example, if you were to say someone has a >mapi-kashek< (very small mind), that would invariably be taken as insulting.


Forming Augmentatives
Shidoraya t'Hayat-Zhitlar

To make a normal noun something augmented and/or "stronger", you affix the appropriate >suk-<, >masuk-< or >eksuk-< to the word. Let's use the word >sehlat< as an example.

suk-sehlat = a big or large sehlat, which can mean size, maturity and/or suggest a level of some clumsiness or brutishness. It can occasionally be taken as an endearment, just as in the FSE construction "big ole Sehlat".
masuk-sehlat = a very big or very large sehlat, which can mean it is old, full-grown and/or suggest a high level of clumsiness or brutishness.
eksuk-sehlat = a gargantuan sehlat, which is so big, that it is frightening or monstrous. This would conjur up the thought of a cinematic monster, like Godzilla or King Kong.

Parents, close relatives or intimate friends might use an augmentative as a sign of affection with a proper name. For example, >suk-Spola< would be the way to augment >Spola< (something like "Big Spola"). Be careful to not use augmentatives with adult names, as this is nearly always considered very offensive, unless between two bonded people.

One must be careful when using an augmentative with some words or in some contexts, because it can be taken as an insult or offense. For example, if you were to say a Vulcan has a >masuk-shayaf< (a very big ego), that would invariably be taken as insulting.


Notes
Pitohlar

1. Compound Words made up of three hyphenated roots (Trinary Compound) may not be diminuated or augmented, since a diminutive or augmentative is counted as a separate word form and not as an adjective.

2. Make sure not to confuse the use of "adjective + noun" with "diminutive/augmentative + noun". There is a big difference in Golic Vulcan between >pi'kushel< (a small bird) and ">pi-kushel< (diminuated bird).

3. The big problem new students might have is that a diminuated/augmented word sounds very much the same as the corresponding adjective + word in speech. For example, >pi'kushel< and ">pi-kushel< sound nearly identical. Remember that the adjective with the apostrophe or ulef-pekhaya is pronounced somewhat like a glottal stop, whereas the diminutive/augmentative with the hyphen or pakh is pronounced with a slight pause, just as with any hyphenated word.


There are no exercises for this lesson.

The student is encouraged to experiment creating diminutives and augmentatives, and try using them in sentences.

This lesson was put online on
May 21, 2005.




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operating as the Vulcan Language Institute™.

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