Language Update - a closer look at Dr. Frommer's letter

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Paul Frommer's
Language Workbook

[Payoang]

Alongside his letter, Dr. Frommer sent a marked-up version for analysis. Also, on http://wiki.learnnavi.org/index.php?title=A_Message_From_Paul

Red: new words
Blue: Pandora (literally: "Physical World of the Child of Eywa")

Ayeylanur oeyä sì eylanur lì'fyayä leNa'vi nìwotx:	To all my friends and friends of the Na'vi language:
Oel ayngati kameie, ma oeyä eylan, ulte ayngaru seiyi irayo. Fpole' ayngal oer fìtxan nìftxavang a 'upxaret stolawm oel. Lì'fyari leNa'vi oel 'efu ayngeyä tìyawnit. Ulte omum oel futa tìfyawìntxuri oeyä perey aynga nìwotx.	I See you, my friends, and I thank you. I have heard the message you have sent me so passionately. I feel your love for the Na'vi language. And I know you are all waiting for my guidance.
Spivaw oeti rutxe, ma oeyä eylan: oe new nìtxan ayngaru fyawivìntxu. Slä nìawnomum, zene oe 'awsiteng tìkangkem sivi fohu a Uniltìrantokxit sì kifkeyit Eywa'evengä zamolunge awngar. Foru 'upxaret oel fpole', slä vay set ke pamähängem kea tì'eyng. Nìaynga oe perey nìteng.	Please believe me, my friends. I want very much to guide you. But as you know, I must work together with those who have brought us “Avatar” and the world of Pandora. I have sent them a message, but up to now no answer has arrived. Like you, I too am waiting.
Tì'eyngit oel tolel a krr, ayngaru payeng, tsakrr paye'un sweya fya'ot a zamivunge oel ayngar aylì'ut horentisì lì'fyayä leNa'vi.	When I receive an answer, I will let you know, and I will then decide the best way to bring you the words and rules of Na'vi.
Sìlpey oe, layu oeru ye'rìn sìltsana fmawn a tsun oe ayngaru tivìng.	I hope I will soon have good news to give you.
Aylì'ufa awngeyä 'eylanä a'ewan Markusì ta Ngalwey . . . 'Ivong Na'vi!	In the words of our young friend Markus from Galway . . . Let Na'vi bloom!
Kìyevame ulte Eywa ngahu.	Goodbye for now, and may Eywa be with you.
Ta 'eylan karyusì ayngeyä, Pawl.	Your friend and teacher, Paul.

mipa aylì'u 'upxareyä ta Karyu Pawl / new vocabulary from the message from Karyu Paul

Nouns
'eylan friend (plurals: meylan(2), pxeylan(3), ayeylan(4+), eylan(lenited))
tìyawn love (= "love" (noun) Please note that *yawn is not a verb. It cannot be conjugated with infixes.)
Eywa'eveng Pandora
koren rule (plurals: mehoren(2), pxehoren(3), ayhoren(4+), horen(lenited))
tìkangkem work (the verb cannot be derived and conjugated directly on kang by removing tì)
tì'eyng answer (plurals: *mesì'eyng(2), *pxesì'eyng(3), *aysì'eyng(4+), *sì'eyng(lenited))

Verbs
stawm to hear
'efu to feel
spaw to believe
'eyng to answer
tel to receive
pe'un to decide
sìlpey to hope (optionally takes tsnì to mark the clause and requires -iv- in the subordinate verb(s))

Adjectives
swey best
'ewan young

Adverb
nìteng too/also
fìtxan so (meaning "exceedingly")

Particle
vay up to

Phrases
nìawnomum "as we know"
kifkey Eywa'evengä "the world of Pandora"
Aylì'ufa _______ "In the words of __________"
vay set "still/not yet" (with a negative verb)

List of Corrections completed before 11:59 PM Wednesday, 20 January 2010 ("'Ivong Na'vi Day")

(1) Conditional approval for lenited plurals (me-, pxe-, ay, 0) on tì'eng (answer) removed
(2) VITAL tì- added to tìyawn (love), which cannot be conjugated/infixed as a verb with tì- removed
(3) Various underlining (HTML typo) errors corrected for indicating which syllables should be stressed in speech (others could still be present)
(4) sìltsan a >>> siltsana (to correspond to the Flash at MaSempul.org which was corrected before publication)

[Skxawng]

"and I jizzed, in my pants"

[Prrton]

I forgot this adverb...

fìtxan so (meaning "exceedingly")

e.g.:

   Fpole’ ayngal oer fìtxan nìftxavang a ’upxaret stolawm oel.

   I have heard the message you have sent me so passionately.


_____________________________

[Maggo]

Great Work and Irayo Pawl for this statement.

[Alìm Tsamsiyu]

"and I jizzed, in my pants"

BAHAHhahaha, Nice! +1 Karma to you sir!

Looks like Taronyu has some work cut out for him

[suomichris]

This is so great!  I can't wait to pour through it!

Too bad I have to go to stupid class.... grumbles about students

[Erimeyz]

Looks like Taronyu has some work cut out for him

We all do.

[Keylstxatsmen]

horentisì lì'fyayä

sì is an adposition?

-Keyl

[wm.annis]

horentisì lì'fyayä

sì is an adposition?

Strangely, it appears so.

Hmm...

A few things jump out at me.

• -ru and -r in apparently free variation   
• -ur for dative on words ending in a consonant!   
• lots of nice uses of a to stare at, especially ... a krr
  

[Alìm Tsamsiyu]

Aylì'ufa awngeyä 'eylanä a'ewan Markusì ta Ngalwey

awngeyä = our?  Why aw?

Also, Markusì? I'm thinking Markus-TOPIC MARKER -ì (rather than -ri), otherwise here "Aylì'ufa (our) (friend's)" the ownership of the words is unclear until there is a topic marked, namely, Markus.

[wm.annis]

Also, Markusì?

Syllables cannot end in -s in Na'vi.  Compare: Ìnglìsì.

[Karyu Amawey]

I can't wait to update the Pocket Guide! Trial markers?! New verbs?! Affixes that need to be analyzed?! I'm in Heaven )

[Keylstxatsmen]

...ayngaru payeng...
...ayngar aylì'ut...

Looks like it may depend on the next word starting with a consonant or vowel.

-Keyl

[omängum fra'uti]

Forget the new vocabulary, so many grammar questions are cleared up as well.

I mean I haven't had time to analyze everything, but already the first sentence tells us that we can have two datives together if they are both being the recipients.

However it also says that sì is NOT strictly an adposition...

Ayeylanur oeyä sì eylanur lì'fyayä leNa'vi nìwotx

Every single noun there has a case ending, in addition to sì being there.  That wouldn't work if you tried doing the same with an adposition like mì (Ignoring the nonsensicalness of the resulting sentence if it did work).

[Keylstxatsmen]

...oer fìtxan...
...oeru ye'rìn...

But then we have this.

-Keyl