Negative consonant

[Muzer]

I've noticed that both Na'vi and English (Na'vi moreso than English) seem to have a consonant that appears in a great deal of negative words.

In Na'vi this is "k". Just look at some words like "die", "evil", "not", "no", "treachery", "alien", etc.

In English (to a lesser extent) this appears to me to be "d" - die, death, destruction, devastation, don't (admittedly that one doesn't really count), doom, disaster, down (when used metaphorically is negative - eg downfall), dark, etc.


Am I seeing patterns where none exist here, or is there really such a thing? Do they exist in any other languages?

(I couldn't really think of the best place to post this, please move if you're a mod and think of a better place)

[Ftiafpi]

I'd agree with this:

ke, kehe, kea, kxanì, kawkrr, etc.

[Taronyu]

They're called phonesthemes. They occur in pretty much all languages, and happen due to mixtures of derivations and the like, but also, some claim, due to phonesthesia. It's actually a hotly debated topic in some linguistic circles.

Here's the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme
Here's a dictionary with tons of them: http://reocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9783/phond3.html
(I appear to have broken a page on the site I linked to in my third link. So nevermind.)

[Ftiafpi]

They're called phonesthemes. They occur in pretty much all languages, and happen due to mixtures of derivations and the like, but also, some claim, due to phonesthesia. It's actually a hotly debated topic in some linguistic circles.

Here's the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonestheme
Here's a dictionary with tons of them: http://reocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9783/phond3.html
Yeah, I edited your post ftiafpi.

Figures you linguists would have a hotly debating topic on that.

Yeah, this is really fascinating. I would say that most of it in English is due to phonesthesia with derivations being a close 2nd but with Na'vi I'd say it's the other way around.

['Oma Tirea]

Haven't heard of phonesthesia and phonesthemes yet.  Sounds like fascinating stuff....