Names for Countries and Languages nìNa’vi

[Plumps]

I wanted to start here a list of country names and their languages in Na'vi.
Sometimes I don't know how to refer to a specific country because the people may call their country in their language differently than in English.

The List (a work in progress)

Please, feel free to correct or contribute to the list!

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Espanya = Spain
Espanyol = Spanish

Fras = France (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)
Frasez = French (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)

[Lance R. Casey]

Sveryì for Sweden (from Swedish Sverige) and
Svenska for Swedish (from Swedish svenska)

**Sv is not a permissible cluster, so it would have to be sw, and I wouldn't reduce the final vowel:

Swerye
Swenska

However, is not the working assumption that all loans in Na'vi come from or via English? Thus, myself, I've been using:

Switen
Switìsì

[Plumps]

Fras = France (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)
Frasez = French (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)

s and z are not possible at the end of a syllable, though...

**Sv is not a permissible cluster, so it would have to be sw, and I wouldn't reduce the final vowel:

Swerye
Swenska

Irayo ma Lance,
you know, that is something I never noticed before What do you say! Na'vi can still surprise me
Is there a phonological reason that sw- is allowed but sv- is not?

However, is not the working assumption that all loans in Na'vi come from or via English? Thus, myself, I've been using:

Switen
Switìsì

That comes down to the whole loan word discussion, doesn't it? Don't get me wrong, if we stay inside the fictional context of the world there are a lot of arguments for the English loan word approach... But I see it somewhat different, seeing how influenced cultures/languages on present 'Rrta are by one another, I doubt that English will be the dominant lingua franca in 2154... But that's a rather personal approach.

kxawm lu leskxawnga säfpìl... 

[eanayo]

No direct contribution from myself, I'm afraid, but there have been efforts in that direction a while ago: click me!.

Prrton (as usual) came up with some great suggestions (esp. on page 2), but there are tons of other ideas in there, too.
Just in case you haven't seen that yet

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Fras = France (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)
Frasez = French (based on closest approximations to the IPA provided on wikipedia)

s and z are not possible at the end of a syllable, though...

*keytsyokx* Frasì and Frasezì then.

[Plumps]

No direct contribution from myself, I'm afraid, but there have been efforts in that direction a while ago: click me!.

Prrton (as usual) came up with some great suggestions (esp. on page 2), but there are tons of other ideas in there, too.
Just in case you haven't seen that yet

*argh* I knew I was searching for the wrong words... Indeed, I hadn't. Thanks for the link ...
well, that makes this whole project obsolete

[eanayo]

Oh, I wouldn't say that! It's a rather messy long thread, with the most of the good stuff hidden deep inside, so you could still spend some time getting everything tidily ordered and the gaps filled.

Sorry for ruining your Sunday, btw

[MIPP]

Portugal: Purtungal (IPA: puɾtugal; written as: Portugal)
Portuguese: Purtunges (IPA: puɾtugeʃ; written as: Português)

Not sure about the "g" sound.

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IPA according to the Brazilian Portuguese Accent

Brazil: Prraziw (IPA: bɾaziw; Written as: Brasil)
Brazilian: Prrazileyru (IPA: bɾazilejɾu; Written as: Brasileiro)

IPA according to the European Portuguese Accent

Brazil: Prrazìl (IPA: bɾɐzil; Written as: Brasil)
Brazilian: Prrazileyru (IPA: bɾɐzilejɾu; Written as: Brasileiro)

-----------

Italy: Italia (IPA: perhaps Italja; written as: Italia)
Italian: Italiano (IPA: perhaps Italjano; written as: Italiano)

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Spain: Espanga (IPA: perhaps eʃpaɲa; written as: España)
Spanish: Tsastelano (IPA: perhaps caʃtɛʎanu; written as: Castellano)

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France: Frrangsì (IPA: perhaps fʁãsɨ; written as: France)
French: Frrangse (IPA: perhaps fʁãsɛ; written as: Français)

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[kewnya txamew'itan]

Assuming the IPA is accurate, some of those transcriptions look a little odd.

iw isn't a legal coda, I'd either say iu (de-diphthongising it) or go to i (monopthongising it).

Italia is, as you show in your IPA is pronounced Italya lena'vi.

The Spanish ñ sound sounds closer to "ny" (we also have examples of a few consonants moving next to others (mainly velars becoming bilabials and vice-versa) so ny might end up as [ɲj]) than it does to "ng" in my mind (and everyone else I've ever been taught Spanish with) so I'd transcribe it as Espanya. (Also, in my experience, España (and its derivitives) are pronounced with an [ s ] not a [ʃ] (as sampled in Santander, Barcellona (but in Catellan), Madrid, various cities in Andalucía and both my Spanish teachers).

Ts seems an odd choice for spelling "Castellano" (which is usually pronounced with a [k] not a [c] and  an

• not a [ u ] in my experience (sampled as above). I'd transliterate as "Kasteyano" (whilst in process [ʎ] is closer to [l] than it is to [j] most palatal consonants sound (to the ears of those with only one ([j]) like na'vi) closer to [j]).
  
  According to wikipedia the French pronounce France and Français with a nasal [ɑ] not a nasal [a] (not that that affects transcription really) and France apparently doesn't have the [ɨ] (not that that affects transcription much either, the <ì> is really serving as a na'vi schwa. My main quibble is the <rr>, the French sound hear is an untrilled rhotic (a fricative actually) so would probably be associated more with a na'vi <r>
  
  Anyway, most of them a pretty accurate and ultimately it comes down to a stylistic choice (on the original world map thread for example the Brazilians were mostly using "prrzil" with no <e> to keep the syllable number the same.

[MIPP]

(Also, in my experience, España (and its derivitives) are pronounced with an [ s ] not a [ʃ] (as sampled in Santander, Barcellona (but in Catellan), Madrid, various cities in Andalucía and both my Spanish teachers).

Again, I think my Portuguese accent does not help at all (I guess you may read here that sometimes the s letter in a word is read as [ʃ] - SEE FURTHER NOTES).

After seeing the wikipedia on the Spanish phonology, I see you're right. My damn Portuguese accent!

which is usually pronounced with a [k] not a [c]

My fault, sorry. I wasn't think about IPA 

According to wikipedia the French pronounce France and Français with a nasal [ɑ] not a nasal [a]

Well, I can't be sure. Because of all the sounds that the word has, it seems [ɑ] but sometimes also [a]. Finally, my Portuguese accent may be not helping 

and France apparently doesn't have the [ɨ]

As far as I know, [ɨ] and [ɘ] have the same sound. At least, there are some Portuguese dictionaries that use [ɨ]and others, to describe the same word, use [ɘ]. Thus, I'm not sure about the difference.

But now that I thought and I saw the French wikipedia about it, I noticed that there is no sound after the .

so would probably be associated more with a na'vi <r>

I agree, it really sound better.

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But, to end up with the problems, I think that every country or language should be written according to the word in english: nìPortuguìsì, nìFrents...

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Most of them were really picky of me so don't worry about it.

I agree that from a Canonical point of view using English seems more reasonable (how many non-Americans did you see in Avatar?) although it does seem that there is at least some influence from other parts of the world, for example the spelling of "toktor" suggests a distinctly non-GA (possibly British) source (it would seem surprising if [ɒ] was thought by the na'vi to be closer to [a] than to

• ).

[KalaKuival]

Hello...

Would also like to ask about my country...

Estonia, in estonian:
Eesti (IPA like: ɛɛsti): Esti
language:                lì'fya lEsti, because this is how you say it in here, no special word for that...

[kewnya txamew'itan]

What's the Estonian word for a person who is Estonian (or is it "Estonian Person" the same way the language's name is formed)?

[KalaKuival]

Ooh, no , for that there is a word: Eestlane  (IPA: ɛɛstlanɛ)

['Oma Tirea]

This is certainly a fine thread.  Nice effort so far, guys....

For "Nippon"/"Nippongo", shouldn't that be "Nipong"/"Nipongo"?

As for some of the others:

Espanya/Espanyol for España/Español
Fransì/Franse for France/Français
Purtungal/Purtungesì for Portugal/Português
Toitslantì/Toitse for Deutschland/Deutsch
Italia/Italiano is pretty straightforward (maybe Italya/Italyano)
Esti for Eesti (both ways)
Rosiya/Ruskxi for Россия/Русский
Elata/Elinika for Ελλάδα/Ελληνικά
Makyarortsak/Makyar for Magyarország/Magyar
Polska/Polski is pretty straightforward (maybe Polskxa/Polskxi)

(I can't really read the other scripts too well at the time, so if anyone can do them with a decent Na'vi allophony, seykxel sì nitram ngaru.)

[Kì'eyawn]

I would add this:

Turkiye/Turkìtse (from Türkiye/Türkçe)

although i could also see Trrkiye/Trrkìtse

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Denmark = Tänmak
Danish (Dansk) = Tänskì

[MIPP]

Denmark = Tänmak
Danish (Dansk) = Tänskì

Aren't those derivations from the English spelling?

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Nope, both from the Danish pronunciation (courtesy of my rudimentary knowledge of Danish, what I've heard there and backed up by the IPA provided on wikipedia). If I was basing it on English I'd have got "Tenmak" and "Teynis".