Na'vi writing?

[Is.]

Hello, everyone. Pleased to be here. This site/forum is a wonderful initiative.

I was just wondering, don't the Na'vi have any writing? Any anyone seen any Na'vi characters (like chinese characters, sanskrit, arabic, etc), or do they just speak?

Learning the Japanese hiragana and katakana was fun, so I wouldn't mind taking on Na'vi as well!

[Karyu Amawey]

Na'Vi is an unwritten language and is only spoken.  I believe this is so due to the symbiotic relations they each have with eachother, and so therefore passing on memories or messages is quick and lasting.

[Fortuna]

We don't have any record of Na'vi writing yet, but there could be someday

[omängum fra'uti]

Currently as far as we know, Na'vi is only a spoken language.  I think I've even seen that stated somewhere.

It does sort of make sense - any time they need to record something they just plug themselves into the moon and upload it.  

[Is.]

Heh, OK!

I wish I could say the same for Chinese. Learning those 5000-10000 kanji characters is a rather depressing prospect.

[marte]

Besides, no matter how evolved in thought and spirit they are, they hardly have the need or means to write. If I remember right, the Egyptians were the first people to use some sort of writing and they were rather more developed in the way they organised themselves in large cities rather than in tribes. I don't think it'd make much sense for the Na'vi to have a proper writing system just yet.

edit: I KNOW, the Chinese are insane just knowing all those practically identical symbols. Especially since there's hardly any logic to them. Thank god it's easier in Japanese!

[Nume fpi sänume]

Yes, it was stated that Na'vi is only a spoken language, and the way we write it out here is more of a phonetic spelling from what i understand.

[wisnij]

It's also probably supposed to reinforce the parallel with Native American cultures, some of which had no native writing system until they came into contact with settlers.

[Is.]

I don't think it'd make much sense for the Na'vi to have a proper writing system just yet.

Right. The way I understand it from watching the film they live like 200-300 people within a clan, and as such I guess there hasn't been much Darwinian pressure to introduce writing. Perhaps only when the population becomes larger and knowledge (science, medicine, history, construction schematics, etc etc) needs to be exchanged in a more systematic way (libraries of knowledge) do the written word become important.

But the Na'vi seem more laid back, not ready, or willing, to take the step into civilization.

(Off topic, just reading the Na'vi hand-book now, and I was pleased to see that Frommer included topic markers (-ri). I have just grown accustomed to this thing, having tried to learn a little japanese, in which they use the suffix (-wa) to indicate topic. "Sore wa muzukashii desu ne." As in "That would be difficult, wouldn't it?")

[Demonsion4th]

Heh, OK!

I wish I could say the same for Chinese. Learning those 5000-10000 kanji characters is a rather depressing prospect.

Man you're darn right! XD I learn both English and Chinese (which is my mother tongue) and it is greatly depressing learning words after words in Chinese.

[sefuheron]

I personally see that the Na'vi could exist in larger advanced cultures without a writing system at all... with their neural links and everything, it makes it seem more efficient than writing. Just tap into a tree and upload your thoughts

[Skxawng]

I'm glad na'vi doesn't have a written language. That'd just make things more complicated imo.

['it a txep]

I've asked the same thing yesterday...