Similarities between Na'vi and Klingon

Started by HTML_Earth, February 18, 2010, 11:05:48 AM

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HTML_Earth

So I was watching a video where Marc Okrand talks about how he made Klingon:
Marc Okrand - Klingon lang 4/5
And at 4:55 I noticed that "one" in Klingon is wa' and as most of you know "one" in Na'vi is 'aw.

Funny how the Na'vi word and the Klingon word are the reverse of eachother.


Edit: Renamed thread

Nyx

Ah! This thing is cut at the wrong places, have to find the rest!

And yeah, that's interesting.. I wonder, if you play a Klingon tape backwards, are there hidden messages in Na'vi?

Our Lady of Toast

Good catch!  Klingon is fond of backwards words (the conjunctions, for example) so I wouldn't be surprised if that was deliberate.

Also, Na'vi lahe "other" reminds me of Klingon latlh "other".

Nyx

Perhaps Na'vi and Klingon are more related than we could imagine... I mean, how can we know how much they've interacted...

Txur’Itan

Klingon: Qapla' batlh je'
Na'vi: Olemza'u eltu set Na'vihu luyu.
私は太った男だ。


Jairo

I'm always learning. If I write something wrong in any language, please correct me.

Swokéyan

Lurkin' the forums
Join the real life Na'vi tribe here (And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, NOT a role play)

HTML_Earth

I renamed this thread, since there are more similarities to talk about, other than the number 1.


50th post - Yay, oe lu Tawtute set!

Nyx

Quote from: HTML_Earth on March 01, 2010, 04:30:44 PM
I renamed this thread, since there are more similarities to talk about, other than the number 1.


50th post - Yay, oe lu Tawtute set!

And I'll be following it and learning ^^

Congrats!

Lance R. Casey

Quote from: HTML_Earth on March 01, 2010, 04:30:44 PM
I renamed this thread, since there are more similarities to talk about, other than the number 1.

There sure are. Here are some:

Aspect

Klingon has no verb tenses at all, only aspect:

jISoptaH I am eating
jISoppu' I have eaten

The temporal context is either inferred from the rest of the sentence, or given explicitly with a timestamp:

wa'Hu' jISoptaH I was eating yesterday
wa'leS jISoppu' I will have eaten tomorrow


Causatives

The causative verb suffix -moH is ubiquitous in Klingon, and many actions which have their own roots in English are formed in this way in Klingon (e.g. chenmoH create (cause to take form)). The syntax is similar to Na'vi:

taD bIQ
The water is frozen

bIQ taDmoH ghaH
He freezes the water

quHDaj qaw wo'rIv
Worf remembers his heritage

wo'rIvvaD quHDaj qawmoH Ha'quj tuQbogh
The sash that he wears reminds Worf of his heritage

-vaD is a beneficiary suffix, and is used for indirect objects.


Evidentials

Klingon has four qualificative verb suffixes, of which -law' functions much like ‹ats›:

verengan HoHpu' tlhIngan
The Klingon killed the Ferengi

verengan HoHlaw'pu' tlhIngan
The Klingon seems to have killed the Ferengi


Topic

The noun suffix -'e' does double duty as both a topic and focus marker.

Qo'noSDaq ghaHtaH HoD'e'
As for the Captain, he is on Kronos
The Captain is on Kronos

jonpIn DuQpu'bogh HoD'e' vIlegh
I see the captain who stabbed the engineer

jonpIn'e' DuQpu'bogh HoD vIlegh
I see the engineer whom the captain stabbed

jonpIn DuQpu' HoD'e'
The Captain (and no one but the Captain) stabbed the engineer

The latter usage appears to be dominant by far, and the productiveness/extent of the former is probably nowhere near that of -(ì)ri in Na'vi, but still.


Passive

Klingon has no passive voice as such, but the same function can be achieved with the verb suffix -lu', which denotes indefinite subject:

'uQ Soplu'pu'
Dinner was eaten

Cf. fkol in Na'vi: Wutsot yolom fkol.

Same for passive participles (or the lack thereof):

loD ghImlu'pu'bogh vIghompu'
I met the exiled man

// Lance R. Casey

HTML_Earth

Found this on the wikipedia article for klingon:
QuoteSome nouns have inherently plural forms: "jengva'" "plate" vs. "ngop" "plates", for instance.
And "ngop" is "create" in Na'vi