Na'vi Grammar Worksheets!

[Swok Txon]

Just again irayo ma tsmukan on this!

It really helps you get by!

[Taronyuakawng]

The worksheet 1.3.2 - Cases is wrong. I guess it was written by someone who's native language does not have cases. Well mine does. Here is the list of mistakes:

Na'vi Affixes 1.3.2 - Cases - Page 1

"Also important to note, is if a possessive pronoun is the topic, the possessive suffix (...)"

To explain the Genitive Case to people who's languages don't have cases, I would add (ofcourse, in diffrent words, becouse I'm pretty bad at writing tutorials) following:

Genitive (answers questions - who's? what's?)

So, we want to say My spear is dangerous. We start with the basic forms:

I spear be dangerous
Oe tukru lu lehrrap

Now, the part Oe (meaning I) is in the sentence to answer the question WHO's spear we are talking about. Let's look through cases.. which case is used to answer the question WHO's? Genitive. So we use Genitive suffix.

Oe-yä tukru lu lehrrap - which is correct and means exacly
My spear is dangerous

Na'vi Affixes 1.3.2 - Cases - Page 2

Same as page 1. I did not find any mistakes here. I'd just add (again, in diffrent words, becouse I'm pretty bad at writing tutorials)  following:

Dative (answers questions - to whom...? to what...?)
eg. to whom is this spear given? to my father

We want to say I give my spear to father. So, again let's start with the basic forms:

I give spear father
Oe tìng tukru sempul

To whom is the spear given? To father. So father must be DATIVE (becouse it answers the question "to whom?"). We will also mark the spear with the accusative suffix -ti (to mark what is given, to mark what is an object of an action, the spear is given - so the spear is an object of the action "give").

On the side note the accusative suffix can take two basic forms, depending on what ends the word it is attached to. If it's a vowel, then we use -ti (just like in this example). If it were a cosonant, we would use -it instead.

I give spear to father
Oe tìng tukru-ti sempul-ru

Now, this is not yet correct. We wanted to say "I give my spear to father". So we need to add the genitive marker -yä.

My give spear to father  (give My spear to father)
Oe-yä tìng tukru-ti semupul-ru

As you can clearly see, something is still wrong. The sentence "give my spear to father" is generally describing some action.. but we want to "gather focus from a larger clause to a single entity". We want to say that I (!!!) am doing that action. So we want to focus on I. That's what the topic marker (-ri) is for.

I give my spear to father
Oe-ri tìng tukru-ti sempul-ru (this is the final and correct sentence)

Notice, that I replaced the genitive suffix with the topical suffix. I'll quote the original worksheet "Also important to note, is if a possessive pronoun is the topic, the possessive suffix -yä is replaced by the topical suffix -ri."

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Na'vi Affixes 1.3.2 - Cases - Page 3

This is the exercises page, nothing wrong there.

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Na'vi Affixes 1.3.2 - Cases - Page 4

This is the answers page. And sadly, you're giving people the wrong answers

1) your (GENITIVE! it answers question Who's?) father (unmarked) is big

Your father is big
Oe-yä sempul lu atsawl

2) her (same mistake as above, definately GENITIVE) father (unmarked) is with the hunters (it's just plural no dative!)

Poe-yä sempul lu ay-taron<yu><hu>

Ay- plural prefix, taron - to hunt, -yu suffix is added to indicate a person who specializes in a verb (in this case, someone who specializes in huting - is a hunter. So from taron (to hunt) we make a hunter by adding suffix -yu). Hu adposition means "with, together with (accompaniment)".

There is no Dative to mark the hunters, becouse the hunters are not recipents of something (the father is not given to them, the father is not sent to them). The father is WITH the hunters, and that does not answer the question "to whom... / or / to what... something is given?". Dative is used only and ONLY to answer those 2 questions. To mark to whom (or to what) something is given/sent/said/or any other action that has a recipent.

3) firstly.. in the exercise page we have "Is that your sister?" and in the answers page we have "is she your sister".. thats little diffrence and I guess everyone knows what the autor had in mind, but I believe it is important in the process of learning, that it is not disturbed by any silly mistakes like this

So, whichever version we decide to keep, it should be corrected

Is she (topical) your (genitive) sister?
Poe-ri lu nge-yä tsmuke?

I am not 100% sure if I should use the topical -ri marker, but I am sure your is genitive and that there is no dativ in this sentence.

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I hope this helps. If I am wrong anywhere please, reply and correct me. We're all learning
Cheers

[dky.tehkingd.u]

The links don't seem to work..... 

[Txon Taronyu]

This is so usefull thxs so much 
can you make more plz!!!

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

These worksheets are amazing. Doing things like this in school is boring, but here it is fun. Grammar is always hard with a new language. I hope there will come more sheets, mabye some repetition?
Irayo 

Okay, it's not "Skxawng's grmmar worksheets" but the new sneak preview of the activity book is up (20 pages) here:

http://forum.learnnavi.org/your-projects-other-resources/easy-way-to-learn-navi-activity-book!/

It may help you pass some time while waiting for updates. It will help with vocab though. I hope you enjoy it.

[RyleVao]

These are awesome!  Irayo!!

[Txon Taronyu]

I have a question for the plirility worksheet
question 8
wouldent the answer be ayoengya aysmukanri lu yom
also in the topic dative and gentive worksheet question 3 its answer is different then what is writen origanaly

[Skxawng]

also in the topic dative and gentive worksheet question 3 its answer is different then what is writen origanaly

Thanks I'll try to get to that tonight.

in the meantime, added worksheet 1.2 - Gender/Laudative/Pejorative short and simple but helpful nonetheless, I hope.

[Txon Taronyu]

Wow thxs man you are awsome

HAVE KARMA

[TireatSamsiyu]

Thanks for this mate!

The Grammar is really confusing and complicated when you first look at it if your just starting out, struggling a bit hehe.

Irayo
(Sorry about the activity quote, wrong post section silly me)

[Skxawng]

Thanks for this mate!

Wondering if you will create any Grammar activitys?

what do you mean by activity?

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

Thanks for this mate!

Wondering if you will create any Grammar activitys?

what do you mean by activity?

Hey boss-man.

I don't want to invade your bailiwick, but I have been toying around with "Grammar 101" (intro to word-morphication) for the activity book. At this point is it nothing more than Mad Libs (yes, sadly: "Nav'Libs," and don't think I am unashamed of myself) and some fun Na'vi children's songs to memorize as an alternate form of learning grammar tidbits and vocab. Your grammar sheets are really the bees-knees. I am hoping to expand from vocab into a super-basic grammar section in February. Just a heads-up, would you be in the mindset of allowing me to insert any of your sheets into the "advanced section" or, alternatively, would you be up to co-designing some fun ways to learn grammar?

[Skxawng]

I don't want to invade your bailiwick, but I have been toying around with "Grammar 101" (intro to word-morphication) for the activity book. At this point is it nothing more than Mad Libs (yes, sadly: "Nav'Libs," and don't think I am unashamed of myself) and some fun Na'vi children's songs to memorize as an alternate form of learning grammar tidbits and vocab. Your grammar sheets are really the bees-knees. I am hoping to expand from vocab into a super-basic grammar section in February. Just a heads-up, would you be in the mindset of allowing me to insert any of your sheets into the "advanced section" or, alternatively, would you be up to co-designing some fun ways to learn grammar?

Nge-yä ay-lì'u-ri a-lor oe nga-ru s-ei-yi irayo nì-txan!

Spoiler

Thank you so much for your kind words!

So long as you give Taronyu and myself credit I would be fine with this. As far as co-designing, unfortunately I have very little spare time for any additional projects, so unfortunately I must decline your offer. Nì-txan ay-irayo though!

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

I don't want to invade your bailiwick, but I have been toying around with "Grammar 101" (intro to word-morphication) for the activity book. At this point is it nothing more than Mad Libs (yes, sadly: "Nav'Libs," and don't think I am unashamed of myself) and some fun Na'vi children's songs to memorize as an alternate form of learning grammar tidbits and vocab. Your grammar sheets are really the bees-knees. I am hoping to expand from vocab into a super-basic grammar section in February. Just a heads-up, would you be in the mindset of allowing me to insert any of your sheets into the "advanced section" or, alternatively, would you be up to co-designing some fun ways to learn grammar?

Nge-yä ay-lì'u-ri a-lor oe nga-ru s-ei-yi irayo nì-txan!

Spoiler

Thank you so much for your kind words!

So long as you give Taronyu and myself credit I would be fine with this. As far as co-designing, unfortunately I have very little spare time for any additional projects, so unfortunately I must decline your offer. Nì-txan ay-irayo though!

Iryao a-meuia tsmukan-yä (Grammar is still killing me)

In any case, as publisher, and published author of over half a dozen books, I am **all about** assignation of credito. In fact, I stunned my editor by giving her second billing (front cover credit with her name half the size of mine) on every book she works with me on. I value my editor, even as much as I hate her when we are working with each other. No one who helps a meal come about should be left waiting to eat, or have to stand in line. As to the activity books, I would label them "your sections," indicating that these exist  specifically because of your contributions, and that without them, we would not learn what we do.

So I will send you first notice (PM) if and when these things are included in the activity book sneak-preview here on LN, to give you time for input, should you desire.

Thanks again to you and Taronyu. None of of us individually is as smart as all of us are together.

[Angtsìk Makto]

I have quite a few questions about worksheet 1.3.2...

In the first example, Oeri ontuyä, doesn't this say "As for me, nose's"? This looks to me like nose is possessive of someting, not I. Wouldn't "my nose" be Oeyä ontu?

In the dangerous spear example, it would be Oeyä tukru lu lehrrap (right?), but since the genitive is replaced with the topic marker, it becomes Oeri tukru lu lehrrap. I'm not sure I understand why the genitive is replaced with the topic marker though. The worksheet says "if a possessive pronoun is the topic, the possessive suffix -yä is replaced by the topical suffix -ri", but isn't "spear" the topic (not "my"?). Would Oeyä tukru-ri lu lehrrap be read "As for spear, mine is dangerous"? And if we take Oeri tukru lu lehrrap to mean, roughly, "As for me, spear is dangerous", that sounds more to me like someone is saying that the spear is dangerous to them, not that their spear is dangerous.

The worksheet says that poe-yä means "his", but doesnt it actually mean "hers"? "His" would be poan-yä, wouldn't it?

I'm also confused about the last two examples...

Oe-ri tìng tukruti sempul-ru means, according to the worksheet, "I give my spear to father". Again, I'm seeing "As for me, give spear to father" or "I give the spear to father". Where is "my"? I'm guessing that if saying "I give the spear to father" were the goal, it would just be Oel tìng tukruti sempul-ru, correct? And if I just added oeyä to make Oel tìng oeyä tukruti sempul-ru, that would be read as either "I give my spear to father" or I give the spear to my father", right? Can I use oe twice in a sentence like that (oe and oeyä)?... so I'm thoroughly confused when I try to figure it out using my own logic... In the correct grammer, Oe-ri tìng tukruti sempul-ru, does -ri cover both the -yä and the -l (ergative)?

And should there be a lu somewhere in the last example ("my spear is with father")?

Sorry for all the questions... a linguistics master I definitely am not... hopefully I don't sound too pathetically lost...

Irayo.

[NeotrekkerZ]

Hey all,

If you're interested in a little (slightly more advanced) practice the link below will take you to a Na'vi Clauses worksheet I created that serves as an intro to slightly more complicated sentence creation.  Look for the pdf at the bottom of my message.  Make sure to get v1.1.

http://forum.learnnavi.org/intermediate/worksheets/msg59044/#msg59044

[Tsyal'an]

Irayo ma Karyu!
these are so wonderfull! they have helped me so much in understanding plurality. I cant wait for more!

[Eltusiyu]

Irayo ma Karyu!
these are so wonderfull! they have helped me so much in understanding plurality. I cant wait for more!

Yes. The worksheets are so helpful 
  "I cant wait for more!"

[NeotrekkerZ]

I'm taking requests for a new worksheet, something that hasn't been covered yet.  Any suggestions?

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

I'm taking requests for a new worksheet, something that hasn't been covered yet.  Any suggestions?

Please take a look at my grammar tree idea. The root is the core MEANING (thought/desire/emotion/intent). the trunk is the base word, and the branches are the general paths of meaning. The "leaf cloud" would be the various final expressions. My illustration is old and has errors, but if redone properly this could be used for a lot of common words and help beginners see how a root word finds expression in many forms.

Here is the original file: http://dustywhite.net/temp/grammar_tree.jpg


I am busy working on other things and simply do not have time at the moment to finish this. If you do use this, please give both of us (you and I) credit for its creation. If you like the idea but my diagram is not clear, please PM me and we can discuss it. Irayo in advance.