Pick-Up Lines and How to Talk Dirty in Na'vi

Started by Payoang, January 27, 2010, 03:49:16 AM

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Payoang

Lemondrop recently interviewed Paul Frommer. It's quite an interesting read - have a look here: http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/01/26/avatar-pick-up-lines-talk-dirty-in-Navi/

Oeyä ikran slivu nga, tsakrr ayoeng 'awsiteng mivakto.


Nawma 'eveng

 ;D Oh my...certainly interesting...

I'm pretty sure it won't work unless the other person knows Na'vi. [/captain obvious] :P

omängum fra'uti

I don't know, speaking French can sometimes work better when the other person doesn't know you're telling them about your used gum collection but it sounds to them like you are describing their beauty.  Maybe the same could work with Na'vi.
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

Toruk Taronyu

Ok then... that's kinda awkward.   ;)

Why aren't we using case here?  As in "Oeyä ikraníl slivu ngati." Otherwise we can't really tell who's becoming who.
Oel tsayeie'a nìmun ngati!

Toruk Taronyu

Or more correctly, "Oeyä ikranít slivu ngal."  I know what the statement's supposed to mean, but without case, you see why I could've written it the first way, right? (despite that being slightly more awkward than the original line..."
Oel tsayeie'a nìmun ngati!

Tsufätu Ayioangä

Aw...it's blocked on my school computer but I can already tell tihis will come in handy ;)

Kretän

Quote from: Toruk Taronyu on January 27, 2010, 09:28:23 AM
Ok then... that's kinda awkward.   ;)

Why aren't we using case here?  As in "Oeyä ikraníl slivu ngati." Otherwise we can't really tell who's becoming who.

I'm also very curious about this. Surely it is needed?

omängum fra'uti

The verb "slu" seems to act as a copula, similar to "lu", in that it doesn't take case endings.  In most cases there is no ambiguity, but I can think fo some where there is.
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

Payoang

Blocked? What a shame. Here, have a copy:


Calling All 'Avatar' Fanatics -- How to Say 'I Love You' in Na'vi
It's official: Yesterday "Avatar" sunk the 13-year-old $1.843 billion box office record previously held by "Titanic," after being in theaters for only six weeks.

Then this morning it was announced that China had renamed a local mountain in its Zhangjiajie province -- on which the floating mountains in the movie were based -- the "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain."

Do we smell a theme park? Either way, it's clear James Cameron is once again king of the world, and "Avatar"-mania has hit.

From the beginning, we were suckers for the love story. But besides the fact that Neyteri -- the Na'vi princess played by Zoe Saldana -- kicks ass and takes names, then falls hard for her blue pupil, what's fascinated us most about "Avatar" is the Na'vi language. It's way more than a sophisticated take on that "B" language we all spoke in elementary school, or Beatles records played backward. It's a legitimate tongue that Paul Frommer, a professor of communication at USC, spent a couple years of his life developing.

So we sat down to pick his brain. What we wanted to know: How do you go about inventing grammar from scratch? Does he think Na'vi will be the next Klingon? And, since Valentine's Day is fast approaching, what are a few key pick-up lines, dirty words and sweet nothings a girl might want to say to her favorite "Avatar"-head (including the Na'vi translation of the L-word)?

Lemondrop: What was the hardest part of creating the Na'vi language?
Paul Frommer: Probably determining the syntax -- that is, the rules that tell you how to combine words into phrases and sentences -- and making sure that all the component parts fit together smoothly.

Which living language on Earth does Na'vi most closely resemble?
I don't know of any Earth language that has the particular combination of elements (sounds and sound combinations, pronunciation rules, word-building processes, syntactic rules) that Na'vi has. So in that sense it doesn't resemble any one language. If you look at individual components, however, you'll see resemblances. For example, the Na'vi ejectives ("popping" sounds I've written as "px", "tx", and "kx") are found in some indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere, Africa and central Asia). And certain grammatical processes look a bit like similar ones in Hebrew, Persian, Chinese, Wanggumara [Ed. note: an Australian aboriginal language] etc. But again, it's the combination of all these disparate elements that's unique.

Do you think Na'vi has the potential to be the next Klingon?
Klingon is an amazing language with a devoted following -- there's even a translation of "Hamlet" into Klingon! I would be delighted if Na'vi developed along similar lines. Already there are indications this may happen. Some dedicated and creative individuals have created their own Web sites where Na'vi enthusiasts are helping each other figure out the basics of the language. I've received numerous emails from people excited about learning Na'vi, some of whom have even written to me in it!

What's a great pick-up line a girl could use in Na'vi?
Nga za'u fìtseng pxìm srak? (Do you come here often?) Well, OK, that's a little lame. Better, maybe: Oeyä ikran slivu nga, tsakrr oeng 'awsiteng mivakto. (Be my ikran and let's ride together.) [Ed. note: Only if it's the third date. Ikran are giant beasts the Na'vi like to, um, ride.]

Can you teach us one dirty word?
Nope! The Na'vi don't have dirty words. If you want a swear word, though, you could say "Pxasìk." It means, "Screw it! No way!"

Besides Neytiri, who would be your sci-fi crush?
As a role model, Neytiri is hard to beat! She's strong and brave yet tender and compassionate. And she's a great teacher too. As a teacher myself, I admire that.

If a girl wanted to surprise her favorite "Avatar" fan by whispering a sweet nothing in Na'vi, what should she say?
Oel ngati kameie. (I see you.) Nga yawne lu oer. (I love you.) Ke lu kawtu a nulnivew oe pohu tireapivängkxo äo Vitrautral. (There's nobody I'd rather commune with under the Tree of Souls.)

[Ed. note: In "Avatar," the Tree of Souls is where Jake and Neyteri have their first, shall we say, communion?]

Toruk Taronyu

Quote from: omängum fra'uti on January 27, 2010, 01:51:27 PM
The verb "slu" seems to act as a copula, similar to "lu", in that it doesn't take case endings.  In most cases there is no ambiguity, but I can think fo some where there is.

Oh! That actually makes a ton of sense.  There would be several cases where slu really needs to be a one way verb.  Is this maybe a case where syntax might identify the subject & object?
Oel tsayeie'a nìmun ngati!


Erimeyz

Note that the article had an error when it was first posted on lemondrop: ayoeng instead of oeng.  Frommer emailed them and they've since corrected it.

  - Eri

suomichris

Quote from: Erimeyz on January 27, 2010, 07:31:50 PM
Note that the article had an error when it was first posted on lemondrop: ayoeng instead of oeng.  Frommer emailed them and they've since corrected it.
Bah.  And here we thought he was talking about orgies....

suomichris

Quote from: omängum fra'uti on January 27, 2010, 01:51:27 PM
The verb "slu" seems to act as a copula, similar to "lu", in that it doesn't take case endings.  In most cases there is no ambiguity, but I can think fo some where there is.
Like where?  I'm having trouble making any sense of these things switching around:

    He became a monster.
?? A monster became him.

The second sounds more like "A monster looked good on him." :p

There could also be an optional way of clarifying.  One could imagine, for example, the topic marker -ri showing up on the start point, and/or -ru on the end point...

omängum fra'uti

I said seems to...  Just calling it as I see it.
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

suomichris

Quote from: omängum fra'uti on January 27, 2010, 01:51:27 PM... but I can think fo some where there is.
I was just wondering what you were thinking here...

Tsufätu Ayioangä


Atan Aylaru

This is certainly a situation where you wouldn't want the other person to know Na'vi; offending a potential date is never a good start to a relationship.  ;)
"Hey!  Ngaru lu fpom srak?"
"What the heck is that?"
"It's uh, Na'vi, you know, from 'Avatar'."
"Sorry, I haven't seen that movie."
o_0

Join Strange Lands - A Pandoran RP: http://forum.learnnavi.org/role-play/strange-lands-a-pandoran-rp-character-thread/

Is.

#18
That's great! Thanks for the link. We also got some new words?

Pxìm = often
Äo = under
Tireapängkxo = to commune, to relate deeply. Lit. "spirit-chatting" (I don't suppose it could be the Na'vi word for.....?  :o)

"Terkup nulnivew oe to ngahu kätìrängan!"


Erimeyz

There's been a bit of discussion about new words from the "pick-up lines" article over on the Dictionary thread.  If you're curious, start with this post and go forward from there.

  - Eri