Various questions

[~Ayngahu]

I thought about posting these in the beginners section (as I see them as basic stuff), but I had to figure that it might be too advanced.


- When asking "What is this?", can you say "fì'upe lu?" or do you need "Peu lu fì'u?"

- I find myself saying things like "Fìkifkey awngeyä" = "This, our world". Is this an odd thing to do in Na'vi? (exessively or in general)

- When prefixing "tì-" to do noun formations, I've learned that lenition isent caused to the T in TÌ-. Would lenition be caused to the prefixed word, then, or not atall (aytìfawm or aytìpawm)?

- When forming si-verbs, can si come anywhere as with free word order, or do you need to put it after the noun that is made as the verb ("Si oe fìtsenge kelku", "Si kelku oe fìtsenge", or do you have to say "Fìtseng oe kelku si").


Thanks.

[Lance R. Casey]

- When asking "What is this?", can you say "fì'upe lu?" or do you need "Peu lu fì'u?"

The latter, I'd say.

- I find myself saying things like "Fìkifkey awngeyä" = "This, our world". Is this an odd thing to do in Na'vi? (exessively or in general)

Off the bat it doesn't seem so to me. There's also "this world of ours" in English.

- When prefixing "tì-" to do noun formations, I've learned that lenition isent caused to the T in TÌ-. Would lenition be caused to the prefixed word, then, or not atall (aytìfawm or aytìpawm)?

Then you've learnt wrongly: the plural of tìpawm is indeed (ay)sìpawm.

- When forming si-verbs, can si come anywhere as with free word order, or do you need to put it after the noun that is made as the verb ("Si oe fìtsenge kelku", "Si kelku oe fìtsenge", or do you have to say "Fìtseng oe kelku si").

The general rule is "X si" (source).

[kewnya txamew'itan]

I thought about posting these in the beginners section (as I see them as basic stuff), but I had to figure that it might be too advanced.


- When asking "What is this?", can you say "fì'upe lu?" or do you need "Peu lu fì'u?"

- I find myself saying things like "Fìkifkey awngeyä" = "This, our world". Is this an odd thing to do in Na'vi? (exessively or in general)

- When prefixing "tì-" to do noun formations, I've learned that lenition isent caused to the T in TÌ-. Would lenition be caused to the prefixed word, then, or not atall (aytìfawm or aytìpawm)?

- When forming si-verbs, can si come anywhere as with free word order, or do you need to put it after the noun that is made as the verb ("Si oe fìtsenge kelku", "Si kelku oe fìtsenge", or do you have to say "Fìtseng oe kelku si").

1. the latter, the first means this-what-thing is which makes no sense because the this and what are contradictory, one implies you know which it is, and the other asks for that knowledge.

2. I think that would be OK because genitives don't correspond exactly to possessives, they have a few other uses.

3. Lenition is caused on the tì- or tì- nouns so tests is either sìfmetok or aysìfmetok.

4. X si except in a few very rare cases.

[~Ayngahu]

Thanks Short and simple.