I don't want to learn Na'vi but I'm writing a Fanfiction...

Kaltxì, Guest! Why don't you join our community?

Paul Frommer's
Language Workbook

[Catherss]

Hello.
Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I hope someone'll tell me

I looked trough the Learn Na'vi database but I decided quickly that I'm too stupid to learn Na'vi. I'm bad at languages at school, so it wasn't a big leap, since languages aren't really my strong point.

Right, I'm writing a Fanfiction and I'd like a prayer that Mo'at would say while Neytiri is give birth and the chant/reply of the people with her (women of the tribe). It needs to be like what Mo'at said while they where trying to put Graces spirit into the Avatar body. They are at the Tree of Souls.

Thanks for helping, I'm open to suggestions and once it's done I'll post a link to it on Fanfiction

--Catherss

[Eana Unil]

Kaltxì

I don't know which part of Mo'ats words you exactly mean, but I guess that the part of her speach, which was focused on Grace(s soul to return to her Avatar body), would not be adequate for a possible birth ceremony.

Nonetheless, the other part she said was "Oe 'ia eo Eywa" - I lose myself before Eywa.

Hope this helps a bit, maybe other people could help more, if this was not the answer you were looking for.

_{BTW... I only can recommend to give it a try. I mean to learn the language. First I thought the same way as you, but then I decided to give it a try - and now I'm glad that I decided to learn it. Currently I'm working on a fan-comic nìNa'vi and it's really awesome to write the dialogues on your own nìNa'vi.}

[Catherss]

_{BTW... I only can recommend to give it a try. I mean to learn the language. First I thought the same way as you, but then I decided to give it a try - and now I'm glad that I decided to learn it. Currently I'm working on a fan-comic nìNa'vi and it's really awesome to write the dialogues on your own nìNa'vi.}

Yeah, I was considering it after I posted this but I'm wondering about it's practical uses, because I haven't met anyone at all who loves Avatar as much as I do, so the conversations would only be online and limited to the words that have been created.

Anyway, that was off-topic

Thanks for your help. I've figured part of the prayer I want : Ewya, help the child and her mother, help them be strong

But I don't know if that's really bad or not >.< Suggestions?

[Blue Elf]

you probably mean this part from the movie.
But read beginning of that document - there's no guarantee that those lines are correct.

Regarding learning.... Na'vi is quite simple language, although on first look it seems to be difficult. Well, it contains many "strange" features (to name the most difficult one - infixes), but once you get it, everything is clear.
Try it - it is amusing.

[Blue Elf]

Thanks for your help. I've figured part of the prayer I want : Eywa, help the child and her mother, help them be strong

Ma Eywa, srung si 'evengur sì peyä sa'nokur, srung si mefor fte livu txur

[Niri Te]

 Ma Catherss.
  Due to serious head wounds that I suffered while in the Army during Vietnam, I have something called "Aphasia". While I can write, it is all that I can do to speak English. It is VERY difficult for me to learn a foreign language, BUT I am learning to speak Na'vi in spite of part of my brain looking like jello in an MRI. Give it a shot, you should be able to learn enough to use the online dictionaries, both English>Na'vi, and Na'vi>English to help you out. I have loaded both of them into the C drive on my notebook.
  It is going to be really tough to write a story about the Na'vi, and NOT use some Na'vi in the story.
Ta Niri Te

[Yawne Zize’ite]

you probably mean this part from the movie.
But read beginning of that document - there's no guarantee that those lines are correct.

Regarding learning.... Na'vi is quite simple language, although on first look it seems to be difficult. Well, it contains many "strange" features (to name the most difficult one - infixes), but once you get it, everything is clear.
Try it - it is amusing.

This is true. Grammatically correct Naʼvi is not that difficult, although smooth, idiomatic Naʼvi usually eludes me. Compared to Klingon or any form of Elvish, Naʼvi rules are few, simple, and intuitive. Infixes are definitely the most difficult since they make it hard to identify the root, but once you learn the list you'll be able to pull the infixes out and look up the verb. The only distinctly non-English parts you have to use are the cases, the dual and trial (which are fancy words for having to always say "two" and "three"), initial lenition, and the subjunctive (and tense infixes if you find those difficult). You'll miss out on some of the expressive power of Naʼvi, but you won't be wrong either.

Now, Naʼvi pronunciation is rather difficult since it uses an entire class of consonants that aren't used in widely-spoken languages of Eurasia ('ejectives'), but if all you do is write fanfiction you don't have to worry too much about the fine details of pronunciation, right?

[Catherss]

Thanks for all your replies

Hmm, it seems you have persuaded me. Darn you all. I'll give it a go and impress my friends with my nerdy-ness.

Out of interest, how many words are there and how many are modern-like? Such as house or school? So if I wanted to say, 'Can I get into the car?' would that be possible or would I have to replace it with a similar word/form of transportation, like Ikran? (Perhaps that would be better for a plane)...

[Ithisa Kíranem]

There are no words for car. However, there is a word for school (numtseng, literally learnplace) and house (kelku).

If you want, you can circumlocute, like saying "pa'li lefngap" (metal direhorse) for car.

There are around 1,500 words, not counting the inflected forms. There are also no synonyms. Basically, you can say pretty much anything, but some subjects would require tons of circumlocution (like "metal animal which uses created energy" for "electrical appliance").

[Catherss]

Haha, 'Metal Dyrehorse' reminds me of K9 from Doctor Who XD

Anyway, where should I start in learning? Greetings? Grammar?

[Niri Te]

 I fly a Lefngap Ikran, metal ikran, or airplane. I wonder if you could use  Lefngap 'emyu (Metal cooker) for an oven, or cook stove.
Niri Te

[Catherss]

I fly a Lefngap Ikran, metal ikran, or airplane. I wonder if you could use  Lefngap 'emyu (Metal cooker) for an oven, or cook stove.
Niri Te

I think in the Metal Cooker I think you could probably just have cooker...

I looked at the Learn Na'vi Activity Book and I has question:

fo - they
ayfo - they

Why? Why are there two?

[Niri Te]

I fly a Lefngap Ikran, metal ikran, or airplane. I wonder if you could use  Lefngap 'emyu (Metal cooker) for an oven, or cook stove.
Niri Te

I think in the Metal Cooker I think you could probably just have cooker...

I looked at the Learn Na'vi Activity Book and I has question:

fo - they
ayfo - they

Why? Why are there two?

Me-2, Pxe-3, Ay-all

[Catherss]

Ahh, okay. So ayfo means 'All of them'?

[Plumps]

Ahh, okay. So ayfo means 'All of them'?

Yes … but fo means the same.
Again, something of a speaker preference Whether you use fo or ayfo is up to you … fo is the ‘short plural form’ of ayfo.
fo saves a syllable

Great to read that we got you to try to learn it after all