TGV/MGV - Lesson 34
Ba-|Iyi-Gol-Vuhlkansu - Tupa 34

NOTES ON PLURALS & COLLECTIVE TERMS

As noted in earlier lessons, plurals are created by suffixing ~lar to the noun. For example, math (plate) and mathlar (plates). The suffix ~lar is not used when there is a number involved, because plural is automatically understood. For example, math (plate) but reh math (three plates).

As a linguistic leftover from an earlier Golic language, there is also the suffix ~u, now used for certain collective terms. (Following a vowel, this ending is ~yu). Examples: Tevanu (the Dead), Ri-Tevanu (the Undead), rigishu (the unexpected), rifainu (the unknown), suyu (crew, faculty, personnel), etc. Note that suyu shows a different shade of meaning from sular (people).

The suffix ~tra is a very common suffix, used to form a group, collection or expanse of something. For example, lap (tree) and laptra (forest, woods), hali (craft, vehicle) and halitra (fleet), stukh (space) and stukhtra (universe), masu (water) and masutra (ocean, sea), etc.

Please note that the word sutra has nearly an identical meaning to suyu; one of the rare examples of synonyms in Golic Vulcan. (Linguistically, one would assume that sutra should mean something like "crowd" or "mob" but it does not. The word for "crowd" is sulvak.)


There are no exercises for this lesson at this time.

The student should acquaint themselves with the many examples of collective nouns in the dictionaries.

This lesson was put online on
October 11, 2014.




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