Kaltxi!

[Korentu]

Kaltxi!
I'm new but eager to learn Na'vi.
Can I please get help for my name? I want something like "judge".

Thank you

[MIPP]

Well, for judge we don't have a word, but what about:

Judge means: Person that says the law, so I would write in Na'vi:

Tutel a peng korenit

[kewnya txamew'itan]

MIPP gives a good translation although it should be tute not tutel.

Personally though, I'd say that korentu should cover it (as well as also covering lawyers, jurymen and everything else associated with the law).

[Korentu]

Thank you, but what does it mean?

[MIPP]

MIPP gives a good translation although it should be tute not tutel.

Personally though, I'd say that korentu should cover it (as well as also covering lawyers, jurymen and everything else associated with the law).

The subject does not takes the ergative? I thaught "peng" was transitive...

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Ma korentu, the best translation would be law-person. (it's derived using the suffix -tu which in turn comes from tute meaning person). So it would cover anyone associated with the law including judges, lawyers, jurymen etc.

Ma MIPP, tute isn't the subject though, instead it is the object of a relative clause and would take the case you'd expect for the rest of the sentence e.g:

tutel a peng korenit taron yerikit
po yawne lu tuteru a peng korenit
poanä 'eylan tute a peng korenit lu
kelkul tuteyä a peng korenit tsatsenget tok
etc. (incidentally I missed that you forgot the accusative on koren).

The way relative clauses work, the object (the thing it attaches to) isn't included in the relative clause explicitly  and so doesn't take the case you'd expect from that clause, but rather from the clause it is a constituent of. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it so here are the above examples (and the general form) with clause boundaries marked.

tute {a peng korenit}
{tutel {a peng korenit} taron yerikit}
{po yawne lu tuteru {a peng korenit}}
{poanä 'eylan tute {a peng korenit} lu}
{kelkul tuteyä {a peng korenit} tsatsenget tok}

Because tute isn't in the same clause as "peng korenit" it doesn't take a case based on that clause, instead it takes a case based on the clause in which it is placed (the  next layer up from peng korenit).

[MIPP]

Ok, understood 

(incidentally I missed that you forgot the accusative on koren)

I didn't, it is there 

[bommel]

Kaltxì and welcome to the forum!
Good luck with learning the language and enjoy your stay

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Ok, understood 

(incidentally I missed that you forgot the accusative on koren)

I didn't, it is there 

That would explain why I missed it. No idea why I thought it wasn't there the second time, oe tsap'alute si.

[MIPP]

Ok, understood 

(incidentally I missed that you forgot the accusative on koren)

I didn't, it is there 

That would explain why I missed it. No idea why I thought it wasn't there the second time, oe tsap'alute si.

No problem 

[Korentu]

Ok well I have been reading through Na'vi in a Nutshell, and I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly by making a basic sentence.

Oe lu taronyu

Does that mean "I am a hunter"?

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Yes.

If you'd been talking about another hunter earlier though, and wanted to distinguish you from him when you said that you are a hunter, you could use the suffix -o but it would seem odd in most cases.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

The way relative clauses work, the object (the thing it attaches to) isn't included in the relative clause explicitly  and so doesn't take the case you'd expect from that clause, but rather from the clause it is a constituent of. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it so here are the above examples (and the general form) with clause boundaries marked.

Because tute isn't in the same clause as "peng korenit" it doesn't take a case based on that clause, instead it takes a case based on the clause in which it is placed (the  next layer up from peng korenit).

Ma Kewnya Txamew'itan, I am not a linguist. I don't understand what you are saying here....

Kaltxi!
I'm new but eager to learn Na'vi.
Can I please get help for my name? I want something like "judge".

Thank you

Anyway, ma Korentu, zola'u nìprrte' ne NivumeNìNa'vi Tseng! (Welcome to the Learn Na'vi Place!) Since you are eager to learn, I wanted to tell you about Project NgayNume! This is the project that has taught me most everything I know about Na'vi. It is a worldwide class lead by Tirea Aean. Classes are divided by timezones, each with its own Karyuä Srungsiyu (Teacher Helper). Some classes are 2 timezones merged into 1. Classes meet once a week on Teamspeak. If you're interested, we'd love to have you. Click the link above and check it out We will be restarting the series......most likely sometime around next Friday, if not on next Friday.

-Txonä Rolyu

[kewnya txamew'itan]

The way relative clauses work, the object (the thing it attaches to) isn't included in the relative clause explicitly  and so doesn't take the case you'd expect from that clause, but rather from the clause it is a constituent of. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it so here are the above examples (and the general form) with clause boundaries marked.

Because tute isn't in the same clause as "peng korenit" it doesn't take a case based on that clause, instead it takes a case based on the clause in which it is placed (the  next layer up from peng korenit).

Ma Kewnya Txamew'itan, I am not a linguist. I don't understand what you are saying here....

Sorry, it's tricky to explain.

tute takes the same case as the verb it is an argument of (the verb that it is doing, is being done or being done to etc.), not the same case as you'd expect from the verb in the relative clause (peng korenit) because the attributive clause marker "a" effectively puts the clause following it in a bubble so that it doesn't affect the cases of nouns outside that bubble. Unfortunately, it only marks one side of that bubble, the other one has to be worked out.

So tute a peng korenit is really tute {a peng korenit} with the {} marking the bubble, because tute is outside of that bubble, it doesn't take the case that you'd expect it to if it were a normal sentence (instead of a noun phrase) in which case it wouldn't have the attributive a and tute would take the ergative.

Is that a little bit clearer?

[Korentu]

So I've finished Na'vi in a Nutshell (although I think a couple of re-reads will do me good), and I think I understand it. But how do you say the word "of"? If it was in there I missed it.

[omängum fra'uti]

"Of" typically indicates a form of possession or membership, so it uses the genitive.

Olo' txampayä - Clan of the sea (Sea's clan)
Fam na'rìngä - Sounds of the forest (Forest's sounds)

Since Na'vi is a unique language rather than just word substitution of English, there are a number of things that are said a bit differently; some words that don't exist in Na'vi or are not used the same.  A very common example is the verb "have" in the sense of possession.  Such as "I have food" - in Na'vi you would say "Lu oeru syuve" - literally "food is to me".  Or some times words might look the same but not be.  For example "tìyawn" is love - but it is a noun not a verb.  There is no verb in Na'vi.  (If they wanted to say something like "I love you" it would be "Nga yawne lu oer" - literally "You are beloved to me".)

The other word that people think they are missing or try to use the wrong one is "to" when used with an infinitive verb.  For example "I want to leave" - there the "to" is really just helping the verb and it's purely English grammar, not really a word with its own meaning.  In Na'vi, that would be "Oe new hivum" - there is a word "to" but it is for direction only.  "Tìran ne na'rìng" - walk to the forest.

[Korentu]

So for rider of ikran I would use write something like this?

Makto-yu-ä irkan

[omängum fra'uti]

Close, other way around.  maktoyu ikranä - ikran's rider, or rider of ikran

[Korentu]

Ok, so what if I want to say something like "Rider of ikran and thanator"?
Do I put the suffix on both of them like
"Makto-yu ikran-ä si palulukan-ä"
Or on just one?
"Makto-yu ikran-ä si palulukan"
Or
"Makto-yu ikran si palulukan-ä"

[kewnya txamew'itan]

I'd put the suffix on both ma korentu.