non-color words

Started by roger, May 17, 2010, 11:21:43 PM

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roger

I asked Paul if black, white, and dark were safe from his revamping of the color terminology, and he said they were pretty stable, so I think we can safely release them:

layon 'black' - stress on the -yon.
teyr 'white' [any connection with teylu, I wonder?]
vawm 'dark' (and of course tìvawm 'darkness')

Some of you have already seen these, so this is just to verify that they're kosher.

Plumps

Finally, thanks for the varification :)

`Eylan Ayfalulukanä

Quote from: Roger
layon 'black' - stress on the -yon.

Is 'ay' not a diphthong in that word, in that the stress is on 'yon'? If is isn't a diphthong, is there a rule for this sort of 'behavior'?

Pronounced with 'ay' as a diphthong, layon is really close to the English word 'lion'  :)

Yawey ngahu!
pamrel si ro [email protected]

kewnya txamew'itan

Quote from: `Eylan Ayfalulukanä on May 18, 2010, 02:08:01 AM
Quote from: Roger
layon 'black' - stress on the -yon.

Is 'ay' not a diphthong in that word, in that the stress is on 'yon'? If is isn't a diphthong, is there a rule for this sort of 'behavior'?

Pronounced with 'ay' as a diphthong, layon is really close to the English word 'lion'  :)

It doesn't have to be a diphthong, for example, mawey is ma.wey, I don't think there's a rule unfortunately.
Internet Acronyms Nìna'vi

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omängum fra'uti

Not a hard and fast rule, but for root words, it is very rare that they don't syllabify as CVCV where possible, and that includes splitting diphthongs.  There are a few exceptions but as I said it is rare.
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

roger

Yes, it's /la-YON/, not *lay-ON. The orthography is defective, using the same letters 'y' and 'w' for diphthongs and approximants. (And the one we're using is even more defective, using the same letters for /c/ as for /t.s/.)

nìTsìng Lekinama Yayo

Yay, darkness! Now my signature is accurate! *hugs* Irayo!

Nyx

I've been waiting for dark/darkness for ages now. Irayo!

Swoka Swizaw

#8
Yes, finally verification of stuff I've been asking about incessantly. ;D Good.

Quote from: `Eylan Ayfalulukanä on May 18, 2010, 02:08:01 AM
Is 'ay' not a diphthong in that word, in that the stress is on 'yon'? If is isn't a diphthong, is there a rule for this sort of 'behavior'?

Historically, if I'm not mistaken, [aj] is a more streamlined version of the vocalic combination of /a/ and the high vowel, /i/. Before diphthongs were vocalic clusters.

Kì'eyawn

Quote from: nìTsìng Lekinama Yayo on May 18, 2010, 05:20:02 AM
Yay, darkness! Now my signature is accurate! *hugs* Irayo!

Uh, technically not.  Run is not "found" but "find."  Your signature says, "Even in darkness, every color can find."  Since Na'vi doesn't really do passive voice, i think what you want is

Keng mì sìvawm fkol tsun rivun fra'opinit.
"Even in darkness one can find every color."
eo Eywa oe 'ia

Fra'uri tìyawnur oe täpivìng nìwotx...

Plumps

Quote from: tigermind on May 18, 2010, 05:18:55 PM
Keng mì sìvawm fkol tsun rivun fra'opinit.
"Even in darkness one can find every color."

Almost ;)
with modal verbs the subject doesn't take the ergative.

... fko tsun rivun fra'opinit.

Kì'eyawn

Irayo, ma Plumps.  Fìkorenit tsweränga' oel nìlkeftang =\
eo Eywa oe 'ia

Fra'uri tìyawnur oe täpivìng nìwotx...

Plumps

kem soleiyi ;)

oel omum 'uti a ral si nga ... tsakem len oeru nìteng

Taronyu

This may be stupid: are these nouns or adjectives?

Ftiafpi

Naw, that's a good question. I have no idea myself.

Prrton

Quote from: Ftiafpi on May 20, 2010, 10:52:29 PM
Naw, that's a good question. I have no idea myself.

Or stative verbs... ? ? ?

roger

Sorry, all the color words are adjectives. I thought we had "tìrim" for 'yellow' as a noun somewhere, but I can't find it.

Ftiafpi

Quote from: Prrton on May 20, 2010, 11:26:06 PM
Quote from: Ftiafpi on May 20, 2010, 10:52:29 PM
Naw, that's a good question. I have no idea myself.

Or stative verbs... ? ? ?
Getting off topic but I thought all Na'vi stative verbs were created using the tì- affix or are there ones that aren't?

Lance R. Casey

Quote from: Ftiafpi on May 21, 2010, 08:48:33 AM
Getting off topic but I thought all Na'vi stative verbs were created using the tì- affix or are there ones that aren't?

-affixed verbs are not verbs at all, but nouns. A stative verb is a verb that rather than describing an action states something about the properties of one of its arguments. Klingon is full of this, having no true adjectives at all, and in Na'vi we have, for example, sim and lìm.

// Lance R. Casey

Ftiafpi

Ah, forgive me, got my linguistic terminology mixed up.