i and y

[MIPP]

Ok then, i've been searching in the forum and even after listening to many audio files, i just don't understand the difference between the i and the y.
Can anyone explain it to me?

[Muzer]

y is not a vowel - it is just a consonant. The confusing part is that it is also used in dipthongs (ay and ey), in which case it IS pronounced as a vowel.

So, yom (to eat) is not pronounced the same as iom - the first letter is just a consonant.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

It's important to note that, unlike many languages (such as Spanish and therefore, possibly Portugese), na'vi vowels do not become diphthongs when placed next to each other, for example a Spanish ai would be pronounced like a na'vi ay whereas the na'vi pronunciation would retain the i as a whole and separate sound to the a.

[Tsamsiyu92]

Y is not a vowel?!

One learns something new everyday, in my language (Norwegian), it is a thinker I-like sound.

[MIPP]

y is not a vowel - it is just a consonant. The confusing part is that it is also used in dipthongs (ay and ey), in which case it IS pronounced as a vowel.

So, yom (to eat) is not pronounced the same as iom - the first letter is just a consonant.

In portuguese Y is read as an i, so whats the difference?

[Muzer]

If you can pronounce English, it's the 'y' in "yellow" and "year"; NOT the 'y' in "my".

[MIPP]

If you can pronounce English, it's the 'y' in "yellow" and "year"; NOT the 'y' in "my".

Sure I pronounce english, i live in the USA. But, an Y in Na'vi must be pronounced as an english y?

[Payä Tìrol]

When it appears by itself, yes. If it appears as part of "ey" or "ay," then no

['Oma Tirea]

Notably, since a Y cannot come at the end of a syllable, it is only pronounced like {i} if it comes after a vowel.  Other times, it is pronounced like the English "y" in "yes."  The same applies to W.

[MIPP]

Notably, since a Y cannot come at the end of a syllable, it is only pronounced like {i} if it comes after a vowel.  Other times, it is pronounced like the English "y" in "yes."  The same applies to W.

So it will sound something like "ai/ay", right?

['Oma Tirea]

Notably, since a Y cannot come at the end of a syllable, it is only pronounced like {i} if it comes after a vowel.  Other times, it is pronounced like the English "y" in "yes."  The same applies to W.

So it will sound something like "ai/ay", right?

Srane.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Notably, since a Y cannot come at the end of a syllable, it is only pronounced like {i} if it comes after a vowel.  Other times, it is pronounced like the English "y" in "yes."  The same applies to W.

So it will sound something like "ai/ay", right?

kehe sì srane.

If it comes after an <a> or <e> and forms a diphthong, the unit as a whole will either sound like <eye> or <pay> respectively (confusingly, English notation for the [aj] and [ej] diphthongs has the a and e the wrong way round, na'vi doesn't), the y itself then represents a movement of the tongue towards its position for <ì> but instead of continuing that sound as it would if <ì> were written, you stop just before/as soon as you reach it. It's important to note that the second part of a diphthong isn't a position for the tongue to move to as a direction for the tongue to move in; once the tongue has stopped moving, the diphthong should stop too.