Some Thoughts on Word Classes (w/ Nifty Indentation)
Saul Epstein 
Thu, 20 Aug 1998 09:26:56 -0500

1. Relation
     a. Action
     b. State
2. Entity
     a. Sentient
     b. Non-Sentient

Classes 1 and 2, and their subclasses, are probably only
distinguished due to the Vulcan predeliction for classification.
Considered in terms of grammar, Whl'prahla contains a vast lexicon of
"root" labels, for whom class is determined by role in a sentence --
and not always clearly, at that.

Entities are easy enough to describe. They are things: material or
conceptual, concrete or abstract. Vulcans, intellectually, at least,
distinguish between sentient and non-sentient entities.

Relations are more difficult. Most attempts to describe them wind up
transforming them into entities before too long. (This is true in
English, at any rate. A fluent speaker of Whl'prahla might have no
trouble explaining the difference between relations and entities). In
a sense, a relation is an entity considered from the inside. An
example may clarify.

Whl'prahla includes a word <dhahq>, which means "song" in the sense
of a particular lyric composition or performance. In a sentence, one
may say <th'dhahq> and mean by this either something like "I sing" or
"my song."

The first meaning employs <dhahq> as a relation, and specifically as
an action. If the sentence were no longer than that, this meaning
would be clearly understood: the speaker sings -- not as a matter of
habit, but at the moment of speech.

The second meaning employs <dhahq> as an entity, and would usually
require more to participate in a complete sentence. For instance,
<awle'shroi th'dhahq aqomie> "Terrans are listening to my song." (The
infirm distinction remains, however: this sentence could also be
translated as "Terrans are listening as I sing," or even "I sing;
Terrans listen." There are means of eliminating such ambiguity, and
the Formal Mode requires them.)

A singer, being one who sings, is <v'dhahq> while the whole category
of lyric composition and performance is <dhahqte>.

Summary:
ROOT      a particular thing, considered from the "outside"
          as a unit entity, or from the "inside" as an
          [action/state] [done by/characterizing] some other
          entity
v-ROOT    an entity who does the action expressed by ROOT
vdi-ROOT  an entity characterized by the state expressed by ROOT
ROOT-te   an entity, the category of such things as ROOT

3. Deixis
     a. Article
     b. Pronoun
4. Quality (I suspect 4 can be folded into 1b...)
5. Quantity
6. Operation
     a. Logic
     b. Syntax
     (6a and 6b may end up being the same...)

--
from Saul Epstein
locus*planetkc,com - www,planetkc,com/locus
"Surakri' ow'phahcur the's'hi the's'cha'; the's'phahrka
     the's'hi surakecha'."
                                        -- K'dvarin Urswhl'at