June Press

[Payoang]

http://www.baixatudo.com.br/learn-navi [Portuguese]
http://groarr.ch/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=728:avatar-navi-sprache-lernen&Itemid=18 [German]
http://www.moviereporter.net/news/5254-lerne-die-navi-sprache [German]
http://www.fantasyplanet.cz/clanek_komentare_vypis.asp?id=3295

[bommel]

Yes! 'Ivong Na'vi! Spread the word =)

[Tsamsiyu92]

Pelun zene ayfo a kea lì'fya lena'vi nerume fkayl längu ayoengr?

edit: Irayo, poster below.

[Toruk Makto]

Who is hating on you?

[omängum fra'uti]

http://www.cinemaobsessed.com/2010/06/learn-to-speak-navi.html

[Tsamsiyu92]

http://www.cinemaobsessed.com/2010/06/learn-to-speak-navi.html

What a nice change of pace...siltsana tìrun (nice find).

[Payoang]

Big article in German: http://www.fr-online.de/in_und_ausland/panorama/?em_cnt=2747648

Interesting article, even if some of it is not entirely unlike completely untrue. Sorry for the half-txìm-ed translation. I hope it's better than Google's.


Interview with the creator of the Avatar language
Tok pesengit oeyä pxirìl?
Paul Frommer brings the Avatar language Na'vi to life. "There's nothing greater than creating a language when one loves languages," says the linguist.

-----

Kaltxì, ma Karyu Pawl!

Oel ngati kameie! Ngaru lu fpom srak?

Ke tslolam... I don't understand...

You [formal] greeted me with "Hello, teacher Paul." I responded with "I see you, are you well?"

Srane - yes. Unfortunately is my knowledge of Na'vi rather limited. However, countless others are already conversing in Na'vi online...

Well, I'm quite astonished how much attention and application this language has already gathered - and how creative folks are! Just recently, upon my decision to retire, someone congtratulated me in Na'vi. From the word "bind," he invented the idiom "un-bound-ness"!

Will you pursue this conlang in the future?

I especially want to work on my conversational Na'vi, and create a lecture blog for beginners of the language. Although the web is full of knowledgable linguists, words like "infixes," "ejectives," and "lenition" scare fans away.

Na'vi has five tenses, a counting system based on the aliens' 8 fingers, and ejectives that sound like someone choked.

There's nothing greater than creating a language when one loves languages. You can roll these sounds around in your mouth ... it's like being a chef who creates a delicious meal from various lands and regions.

One word that everyone should know is "Skxawng" - idiot...

Yes, it was rather popular on the set of Avatar.

What is the hardest part about Na'vi?

My favorite tongue-twister is Prrkxentrrkrr - which roughly means "Day-fun-smoking" [lit.]. Surprisingly though, the ejectives are not the most challenging aspect, but rather common sounds, like "nga" - you.

Languages grow over a span of thousands of generations. How does one create one?

We started out with about 30 words, created by director James Cameron: names, places, concepts. Na'vi, which translates to "the people," is one of Cameron's words, as is irayo, "thank you." I found that to sound polynesian, and began to build a phonology that he liked. After that, I built the morphology, syntax, and the grammar.

Did you try out your language on friends or collegues?

Unfortunately, no, I had to talk to myself -- folks thought I was crazy. Like all others, I had signed a nondisclosure agreement. Only after the film had been released could fans contribute to the expansion of the language.

Can we hope for a Na'vi-subtitled "Avatar?"

We currently have a vocabulary of about eleven-thousand (11,000) words. In comparison, English has about half a million words, and the averate speaker has a working vocabulary of about 40,000 words. We still have a long way to go.

Is Na'vi open for anyone's contributions?

Well, it's not quite that easy. In our last president's words: I am the decision-maker. There are three ways to create new words. You can borrow them from English. The second is taking current words and compounding them to create new meaning. For example, there was the suggestion to take the words "metal" and "brain" for "computer" -- eltu lefngap.

And the third?

The third is creating completely new words, based on roots. No one is brave enough for that; Only I can do that.

But above you is still James Cameron?

Yes. I would like to discuss everything relating to the cultural aspects of the language. On Pandora, how does one respond to a compliment? Do you accept it with a "thank you," like in English, or reject it, like in Chinese, with "wo?" I would also love to create more idioms for the language. For example, "Tail and ear also speak," means about "you say one thing, but I see something else." James Cameron is very busy, unfortunately.

When will you write a translation of "Hamlet," as it already exists in Klingon?

I would love to write a book, but I don't own the rights to the language. Everything related to monetizing (a new word I recently learned) is forbidden.

Na'vi has even expanded your understanding of English?

Yes, as an academic, this word isn't that common.

Do you have a Na'vi name, like ever notable fan?

To the online community, I'm known as Karyu Pawl or Sempul Li´fyayä, father of the language. Others call me Omängum Fra´uti - which roughly translated to "know-it-all." Of course, it's sarcastic...

Will you tell us how to ask for a beer on Pandora?

Onoes, there's no word for beer. We'll have to borrow it from German: pxir. Also, Tok pesengit oeyä pxirìl?

Irayo, Karyu Pawl!

[wm.annis]

Will you tell us how to ask for a beer on Pandora?

Onoes, there's no word for beer.

"Onoes?!"    Has Karyu Pawl been dragged that deeply into internet culture already?

Edit: Heeeyyy — tok in use: Tok pesengit oeyä pxirìl?

[Toruk Makto]

Steven is going to have to give up his Na'vi nick to K.Pawl?   

[Plumps]

I had no idea – just read it in the German subsection...
Well, another loanword

Yeah, would be great to have the original English interview, though

[Ftiafpi]

Skxawng exploding with pride at Paul's use of "prrkxentrrkrr" in 3....2....1....

P.S. Wow, great article! Who was the interviewer? They sound very in-touch with the LN community?
P.P.S. 11,000 words? I wish.

[Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan]

Hate to sound like a broken record, but great article.

[Ftiafpi]

Will you tell us how to ask for a beer on Pandora?

Onoes, there's no word for beer.

"Onoes?!"    Has Karyu Pawl been dragged that deeply into internet culture already?

Edit: Heeeyyy — tok in use: Tok pesengit oeyä pxirìl?

I think "onoes" is Payoang's contribution. Google translate gives me "oh dear".

[bommel]

P.S. Wow, great article! Who was the interviewer? They sound very in-touch with the LN community?

Yes, really! He wants to make a blog =)

[Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan]

Wait...so that article says Karyu Pawl is Omängum Fra´uti?? 

[Ftiafpi]

Wait...so that article says Karyu Pawl is Omängum Fra´uti?? 

I knew it!

hrh, I'm guessing either our Omängum Frau'ti or someone like prrton called Paul that.

[Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan]

Hmm....
We might be on to something here Watson!

[Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn]

Wait...so that article says Karyu Pawl is Omängum Fra´uti?? 

no XD just as it says, it's calling Karyu a know-it-all. If I called someone a skxawng, I wouldn't be saying that they are our Skxawng. 

[Plumps]

[...]

Will you tell us how to ask for a beer on Pandora?

Onoes, there's no word for beer. We'll have to borrow it from German: pxir. Also, Tok pesengit oeyä pxirìl?

More importantly, is this a confirmation that interrogatives get case endings?

I asked about that a while ago in the Combining Our Efforts II thread

[Prrton]

Wait...so that article says Karyu Pawl is Omängum Fra´uti?? 

I knew it!

hrh, I'm guessing either our Omängum Frau'ti or someone like prrton called Paul that.

Die Internetgemeinde nennt mich Karyu Pawl oder Sempul Li´fyayä, Vater der Sprache. Manche nennen mich Omängum Fra´uti - das bedeutet
soviel wie "der, der meint, alles zu wissen". Ist natürlich ironisch...

Prrton sti nì'it nìngay!!

I can't believe how reporters so easily mess things up from their notes!

First of all (for the record (and this is not what I'm displeased about, ma Ftiafpi)), I've never referred to anyone as "O.F." except the original O.F. and I've never talked to Nina Rehfeld about anything.

There is NO WAY that K.P. told her that HE is called "O.F.". I simply don't believe it. Perhaps he said something about awngeyä O.F.'s name as an example from the community ulte poe tìngayr tìkxey soli.

I'm going to rat on her to him about that and the vocab. count.

I'm tempted to use Eywa's name in vein, but I won't go that far...

Otherwise, it's good to get the press...

Thanks for the posting.