[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: chIp

[Steven Boozer]

ghunchu'wI':
> It might not even be stretching the meaning at all. {chIp} doesn't
> actually *include* the hair idea. That's given in parentheses as an
> example of the kind of object it can have, not as the only one
> possible. I'd accept that {chIp} alone does *imply* hair, based on the
> {ghuS} example, but I wouldn't expect any verb to have its object
> restricted to a specific noun.

I agree.  If it were, the definition would have been "cut hair" not "cut (hair)".  I think Okrand added "(hair)" to distinguish {chIp} from the more general verb {pe'} "cut".  

A better question is:  How do {chip} and {poD} "be clipped"/{poDmoH} "clip" differ?  The former has never been used in a sentence AFAIK and the latter only appears in {tlhIngan Hol poD} "Clipped Klingon" and {Hol poD} "clipped language".  Does one use {poDmoH} for, say, clipping one's nails or snipping off a single rose from the stem?  Can we say ?{lav chIp} for trimming shrubbery to a uniform height?  Would *{poDmoHwI'} work for "clippers, secateurs" but ?{lav chIpwI'} for "hedge trimmers"?  


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons