Topic: Clothing

[Talis]

(E)coat / Jacke(D)
(E)Pullover / Pullover(D)
(E)shoes / Schuhe(D)
(E)trousers / Hose(D)
(E)socks/Socken(D)

[Prrton]

I think this is an area where we have extensive "evidence" from the film to make some assumptions and work those into our "way" of asking about clothing.

Neytiri has rings in her ears. They probably have a word for "earring" or "ear ornament". They wear necklaces. The have beads and feathers (feather-like things at least) in their hair.
- armband
- goggles (eye protection while flying)
- breast plate/covering
- loin covering
I think it's fine to ask for these words, because they clearly parallel our fashion customs. But Asking K. Pawl for "parka" or even "jacket" may be challenging for him. "Pullover" is very interesting because it refers to the WAY in which the garment is put on. That has a strong parallel in Japanese.

There are ROUGHLY 5~6 ways to wear things on the body (someone augment, please, if necessary). From the top of the body down:
被る-kaburu-to pull on or set upon the head. A 'kabuto' is a helmet (like the samurai have on in the movies)
掛ける-kakeru-to hang on the face, as in "glasses"
締める-shimeru-to close up/to tie, as a "necktie"
する-suru-to adorn as with earrings/necklaces/gloves (literally: "hand bags")
着る-kiru-to pull over the head/wear hanging from the shoulders. Kimono comes from this. Is a "thing" that one "kiru"s.
履く-haku-to pull up onto the body from the bottom up. Pants, shoes, socks

The Na'vi might have VERBS like this that are primary, or perhaps everything either "wraps" "hangs" or "covers"??

Wraps around the head
Hangs around the neck
Hangs over/from the shoulder
Covers the breast/chest
Hangs/Wraps around the waist
Covers the private areas
Covers the feet (although Jake specifically talks about his feet getting TOUGHER).

If you want words that work for clothing in OUR world (that go from koteka to full length furs (each fascinating and horrible in their own ways)) I believe you'll more likely get of them if you include descriptions that talk about:

- What part of the body they function on
- How they fit on the body
- What their function is (cover for modesty/protect from injury/warm)
- (how they are made? woven/animal hide/etc.)

Socks (foot warming cover)
Sweatpants (privates and leg warming cover)
Gloves (maybe to the Na'vi "finger pants"?)

[Talis]

I am sorry if someone had been offended by my question for these "new" clothings.
I just want Na'vi to become a language which can be spoken in a normal day of sawtute.

[Keylstxatsmen]

I am sorry if someone had been offended by my question for these "new" clothings.
I just want Na'vi to become a language which can be spoken in a normal day of sawtute.

Don't worry about it! ()

It's not a bad thing to want words that you can use for every day Earth conversation, but I think if we sent along these sort of non-Na'vi cultural items, we may get back a big list of "borrowings from English" (ala kunsip) which would be no good for expanding the language.  The thought behind finding out the words that the Na'vi originally have in there language (before the sawtute came), is that we can find more roots and derive new words from that for our daily needs, falling back on loan-words when needed for Sawtute-only concepts.  

-Keyl

[Hawnuyu atxen]

Agree!
It'd be nice if we knew theese words!

Another thing is thoose strange googles they wear whilst flying... i think we should ask that one too!

[wm.annis]

The most general conceptions:

wrap, surround (vtr.)
He wrapped the cloth around her.  (a causative construction)
The grass surrounded him.

unwrap, peel, remove a covering (vtr.)
He peeled the bark (away).
She removed her head cloth.
We must unwrap/peel the fruit to get the seeds.

[Lance R. Casey]

unwrap, peel, remove a covering (vtr.)
He peeled the bark (away).
She removed her head cloth.
We must unwrap/peel the fruit to get the seeds.

We have fkarut peel, but its extent is unknown. Presumably it has to do with fruits and the like.