"The Na'vi Language"

[MidnightLightning]

The term "Na'vi" literally means the people (race), and how they refer to themselves. Is there a modification (or another word) to indicate the language of the Na'vi? In other words, I'm trying to figure out the simplest way to say "Do you speak Na'vi?" or "Do you understand the Na'vi language?". That second I'm guessing is "Ngal tslam Na'viti srak?" (literally "You-ERG understand Na'vi-ACC, yes or no?")

I know in the film, Grace says something that had the English subtitle of "How's your Na'vi?", implying "How well do you speak the Na'vi language?". Has anyone dissected that to see if there was any additional grammar to indicate "language of the the Na'vi" rather than just "the Na'vi people"?

[Mako]

Na'vi, The people, and Na'vi, the language, are one and the same. Don't we speak French and call the people who speak French French? It's the same with Na'vi. As for your other question, I know I haven't, but someone else may have.

[omängum fra'uti]

She asks "How's your Na'vi" in English as I recall.

There is actually no word for "The Na'vi language" in Na'vi, one would imagine with a natural global communication they would not really have dialects or branching languages, so there is no need to really refer to different languages before the aliens arrived and brought with them English.

But that doesn't mean you can't refer to it.

Nga plltxe nìNa'vi srak?
2 speak the-people-ADV Q
Do you speak Na'vi?
Or more literally...
Do you speak Na'vi-lly?
Do you speak in the manner of The People?

Nga-l tslam Na'vit srak?
Do you understand the people?

Not quite what you're intending to ask, as it could mean any number of things.  Do you understand their language?  Their culture?  Their way of life?  Etc.  Doing the same trick of turning Na'vi into an adverb (nìNa'vi) doesn't work in this case because it would be "Do you understand Na'vi-lly?"  Frommer has used fyalì'u to refer to language in Na'vi (Literally word-way) so you could throw that in, but if I had to come up with a way to ask if someone understood off the top of my head, I'd probably ask...

Nga-l tslam Na'vi-yä ay-lì'ut srak?
Do you understand The People's words?

[Doolio]

in a lot of languages that is not the case tho...as for many others idiomic constructions, we could only guess for now.

edit:
omangum jumped in:)

[MidnightLightning]

Na'vi, The people, and Na'vi, the language, are one and the same. Don't we speak French and call the people who speak French French? It's the same with Na'vi.

Yes, but a Spaniard (someone of Spain) speaks Spanish (from the point of view of an English speaker). Or, in their native language, someone from España speaks Español. Spain/Spaniard/Spanish and España/Español are different structures to describe the place, the people, and the language. But, as per your example, the Na'vi could speak Na'vi, as the French speak French.

[MidnightLightning]

Nga-l tslam Na'vti srak?
Do you understand the people?

Not quite what you're intending to ask, as it could mean any number of things.  Do you understand their language?  Their culture?  Their way of life?  Etc.

I had arrived at that too, which was what lead me to look and see if there was a specific way to refer to Na'vi language instead of the race in general.

Nga-l tslam Na'vi-yä ay-lì'ut srak?
Do you understand The People's words?

That works for me!

[MidnightLightning]

Oh, though if you're going to throw in hyphens for easy dissecting of the root word, you might want to add in one for the accusative suffix on "lìu":

Nga-l tslam Na'vi-yä ay-lì'u-t srak?
you (singular)-ERG understand Na'vi's words (plural)-ACC yes/no?

[Taronyu]

Of course, the frommerian word lì'fya would work for language. So:

lì'fya a-le-Na'vi

Spoiler

word-way ADJ linker-ADJ Marker-Na'vi
The Na'vi language.

This would work great.

[omängum fra'uti]

I thought it was fyalì'u that he used (As I mentioned earlier)...  Don't think I've ever seen lìfya.