"-less"

Started by Tsufätu Ayioangä, April 15, 2010, 07:40:07 PM

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Tsufätu Ayioangä

I just bought a vintige, Stradavarious replica cello and I'm trying to come up with a name.  My Na'vi named things all have the word time in the name somewhere and I'd like to continue that.  I've looked through all my printed infor and can't seem to figure out how I would say "Timeless"  Any help?

Kì'eyawn

Kaltxì, ma tsmuke.

Hmm...  This is a difficult question.  The closest thing we have to the English "-less" is the adposition luke-, which means "without"--but that doesn't quite get at what you want, i don't think.

We do have a nice phrase for "forever", though:

'i'avay krrä — literally, "until the end of time".  Courtesy of Karyu Pawl (i've underlined where the accents go).

I definitely understand naming instruments, but i've not given anything a Na'vi name--although my cat only narrowly escaped a renaming ;)

Furia ke tsun srung sivi nì'ul ngaru tsap'alute si oe, ulte sìlpey tsnì tstxo amuiä zìyeva'u ye'rìn.

Eywa ngahu, ma tsmuke.
eo Eywa oe 'ia

Fra'uri tìyawnur oe täpivìng nìwotx...

omängum fra'uti

I'd think that the reason its a difficult question is that "timeless" is a bit of a metaphor/idiom so not something that could be literally translated.  Something that's timeless isn't literally lacking time.  The "until the end of time" is semantically similar, but may or may not convey the same sense.  However any alternative probably wouldn't literally include "time".
Ftxey lu nga tokx ftxey lu nga tirea? Lu oe tìkeftxo.
Listen to my Na'vi Lessons podcast!

Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn

The only alternative I could think of for "timeless" in the sense you want it, would be "classic" but I'm pretty positive we don't have a word for that yet.
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Tsufätu Ayioangä

Hmm... tì'i'avay krrä I like that a lot!  Irayo nitxan!  :)