Letter-Writing and Other Terran Things

Started by Stranger Come Knocking, June 30, 2014, 05:45:10 PM

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Stranger Come Knocking

I want to write a letter in Na'vi, but I find that I wouldn't know how to open or close it.  In English we use "Dear, X" and "Love, Y".  Since the Na'vi don't write, how would this be done?  What degrees of respect would be used (difference between writing to your grandmother whom you love and a letter to your employer)?
I will not die for less
I dug my grave in this
Will I go before I fall
Or live to slight the odds?

These are my books.  You should check it out.  Speculative sci-fi murder mystery historical fiction.

Tìtstewan

Na'vi has just Ma X.
---
As for "Sincerely, Regards, Respectfully"
Pawl used often just "Ta X"
Some write
ta ngeyä <your name>
ngeyä <your name>

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Stranger Come Knocking

Works for me. >_>

EDIT

Oh, duh.  How would one render "step-" relatives? o_O
I will not die for less
I dug my grave in this
Will I go before I fall
Or live to slight the odds?

These are my books.  You should check it out.  Speculative sci-fi murder mystery historical fiction.

Tìtstewan


-| Na'vi Vocab + Audio | Na'viteri as one HTML file | FAQ | Useful Links for Beginners |-
-| Kem si fu kem rä'ä si, ke lu tìfmi. |-

Tirea Aean

We know nothing about the Na'vi familial system yet. Only that there exist terms for mother, father, parent(s), child, son, daughter. Any other terms than those are so far still unknown. Step-parents are a part of one of the most popular human familial systems. I have no idea what this is like to a Na'vi.

As for letter-writing conventions, Karyu Pawl's most formal letter started like this:

QuoteAyeylanur oeyä sì eylanur lì'fyayä leNa'vi nìwotx:

another one like this:

QuoteMa oeyä eylan,

and they typically ended like this (respectively):

Quoteta 'eylan karyusì ayngeyä,
Pawl

Quoteta Pawl

Stranger Come Knocking

Quote from: Tirea Aean on June 30, 2014, 05:58:44 PM
We know nothing about the Na'vi familial system yet. Only that there exist terms for mother, father, parent(s), child, son, daughter. Any other terms than those are so far still unknown. Step-parents are a part of one of the most popular human familial systems. I have no idea what this is like to a Na'vi.

So far I have this:

'ite oeyä muntxatanyä
"Daughter of my husband"

:-\

EDIT
If "fpi+" causes lenition, then would both singular and plural become "ite"?  Sorry, a bit rusty.
I will not die for less
I dug my grave in this
Will I go before I fall
Or live to slight the odds?

These are my books.  You should check it out.  Speculative sci-fi murder mystery historical fiction.

Tirea Aean

Quote from: Stranger Come Knocking on June 30, 2014, 06:01:52 PM
Quote from: Tirea Aean on June 30, 2014, 05:58:44 PM
We know nothing about the Na'vi familial system yet. Only that there exist terms for mother, father, parent(s), child, son, daughter. Any other terms than those are so far still unknown. Step-parents are a part of one of the most popular human familial systems. I have no idea what this is like to a Na'vi.

So far I have this:

'ite oeyä muntxatanyä
"Daughter of my husband"

:-\

EDIT
If "fpi+" causes lenition, then would both singular and plural become "ite"?  Sorry, a bit rusty.

The most un-ambiguous way to put that is:

'ite muntxatanä oeyä -or- oeyä muntxatanä 'ite

And yes, if you use adp.+ and the next word is a noun that has undergone lenition, then you do have the ambiguity of whether it's just the singular having been through lenition because of the adp.+ or whether it's actually the short plural after the adp.+

mì hilvan. Does that mean in the river, or in rivers? There is no way to know unless there's context established. The way to get around this of course is just attach mì to the end: kilvanmì definitely only means "in a/the river", and hilvanmì definitely only means "in (the) rivers".

Stranger Come Knocking

I will not die for less
I dug my grave in this
Will I go before I fall
Or live to slight the odds?

These are my books.  You should check it out.  Speculative sci-fi murder mystery historical fiction.

Tirea Aean


Stranger Come Knocking

This is what I have.  Versus what I intended to write.

And please only critique the grammar; do not ask any other questions.
I will not die for less
I dug my grave in this
Will I go before I fall
Or live to slight the odds?

These are my books.  You should check it out.  Speculative sci-fi murder mystery historical fiction.

Tìtstewan

My attempt:
Quote from: Stranger Come Knocking on June 30, 2014, 06:38:43 PM
Ma ite,

Menga oeru lu yawne, hufwa ke omum oel mengat. Slä ke paylltxe oel meka kea aylì'ut; ke omum mengal oet. Ke ultxa sayi pxoe vomunea zìsìtavay, hufwa sre ultxarìyevun pxoe. Kitìl sì Halil ke ayomum.

Frakrr nì'awve ziverok fwa menga mengeyä sempulur lu nìtxan yawne. Lu yawne menga ulte pey pol mengati. Po pamrel si, hufwa ke nìltsan, ulte tsakem zo tam lu. Po pamrel si fpi ftxozäri aylrrtok sì Kìrisìmas sì, krro krro, fpì kea lun ke. Poru menga yawne lu.

Mengari tsaylì'u le'aw lu a lu oeru. Ke omum oel mengat, slä menga lu oeru yawne. Ulte mengaru tseng sì zongtseng frakrr layu mì te'lan mengeyä sempulä.

Ta muntxate mengeyä sempulä
...waiting for other opinions.
There is still missing case endings at transitive verbs.

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Prrton

[assuming (based on someone's having used pxoe) that two young women are being addressed:]

Daughters,
Ma meite,

I love you though I do not know you.
Hufwa menga ke smon oer, tsalsungay lu yawne.

But I will not waste time; you do not know me.
Kea lì'ut amek ke pasylltxe oel; oe ke smon mengaru nìteng.

We will not meet for another ten years, though may we meet by chance before then.
Ftalyem vomunea zìsìto a krr nì'awve pxoeng ultxa sayatsi a fì'uwä, 'iveiong fwa syayvil tsat leykiven trro trro srekrr.

Keith and Holly will not know.
Kitìl sì Halil tsat ke ayomum.

Always remember this first, that your father loves you very much.
Zivereiok nìlkeftang fì'ut a menga yawne lu sempulur mengeyä.

He loves you and he waits for you.
Mengari maweyperey a por yawne leiu.

He writes, though not very well, and that's fine.
Po pamrel si mengaru, hufwa ke nìltsan. Tsafya tsun tivam.

He writes for birthdays and Christmas and, sometimes, for no reason at all.
Lrrtok si fko a ayftxozäri sì Hìrìsmasìri sì krro krro lunluke nìwotx pamrel si po.

He loves you.
Menga yawne lu por.

Those are the only words I have for you.
Faylì'u nì'aw lu pum a new oe mengaru pivlltxe.

I do not know you but I love you.
Menga ke smon oeru, slä tsalsungay lu yawne.

And you will always have a spot and a safe place in your father's heart.
Ulte sempulä txe'lanri frakrr mengati mayeyam sko zongtseng.

Your stepmother
ta mengeyä sempulä muntxate

`Eylan Ayfalulukanä

Txantsan nìwotx, ma Prrton! As usual, a first-rate example of how to use Naʼvi. Nothing novel or earthshattering, but rather advanced use of common principles we all should know. This letter might be a good one for Pawl to analyze for a Naʼviteri blog post.

Yawey ngahu!
pamrel si ro [email protected]