Noun to verb??

[Alìm Tsamsiyu]

So, we can turn a verb into a noun using tì-, and a noun into an adjective using le-... is there no pre/in/suf/affix yet known to turn a noun into a verb?

-Irayo

[omängum fra'uti]

You can si or tìng it...

tìng nari - give eye - look
nari si - make/do eye - watch out

In some cases it's obvious what it would mean (kelku si - make home - live/dwell) in others, not so much, so do be careful with that one.  In a way I see some of the "si" cases as being someone idiomic.

[Alìm Tsamsiyu]

Irayo!! I'll see if I can work that in to some of my sentences

[Queso6p4]

This is interesting in that, with derivational morphology, (word change that changes a word's speech category) stress patterns could change for some of the words we're already used to. Some American English examples follow and the apostrophe indicates primary stress.

'console (noun) vs. con'sole (verb)
'concrete (noun)  vs. con'crete (adjective)
'contest (noun) vs. con'test (verb)
'complex (noun) vs. com'plex (adjective)

and the list goes on and on. Sorry if this is on the verge of rambling or unclear. 

[Eight]

Some American English examples follow and the apostrophe indicates primary stress.

Very interesting - not actually noticed that before and nor has it been mentioned in all my bloody books.

BTW Contest works for me (UK English) but not so much the others... not sure if that's just me or whether British English doesn't make the distinctions on those forms, I'd want to double check before stating either way.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

I'm with Eight on the British English. I think it only works with American (which you did specify the examples were from).

[Eight]

I think it only works with American (which you did specify the examples were from).

But even so, still very interesting.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Oh yes.

[Taronyu]

Interesting, informative, and useless for this language. We know very little about Na'vi stress. We know even less about how it is supposed to work. English is a very interesting intonational language, with a lot of great stress stuff going on - but it's terrestrial. Ayrum.

[Eight]

Ayrum.

Ay+rum!?!?!? Hahahahahaha.

[Taronyu]

Ayrum.

Ay+rum!?!?!? Hahahahahaha.

Probably should have been merum.

[Eight]

Probably should have been merum.

Lol. Maybe.

But I've never been exactly sure whose articles that expression refers to. Maybe it's a collective and ay+ would be right.

[Kiliyä]

'console (noun) vs. con'sole (verb)
'concrete (noun)  vs. con'crete (adjective)
'contest (noun) vs. con'test (verb)
'complex (noun) vs. com'plex (adjective)

Only the bold ones work for speaker of British English (... English English? lol).  But the point is well made.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

For me the distinction there is less about stress and more about different vowels. In the first one for both of those I'm pronouncing a [ o ] "oh" for the initial vowel but in the second word I'm pronouncing a [ ʊ ] foot.