Lesson 1 - "Is It Hard? What Does It Look Like?" - How To Start.

[Walas00]

Hello brother!
I'm noticing you're interested in the Na'vi language. It sure sounds nice. It's not really that difficult.

The Na'vi language is a great way to talk with other members of the forums.
It's also a great way to break the barrier between people from different countries.
There was an interview with the owner of learnnavi.org where he mentioned a conversation with a Russian guy from Kreml (!) in Na'vi.
Sounds cool eh?

But I think the best thing about the language is that learning it, or even speaking it makes you feel closer with the community. It's really good stuff

How does it look like?
Kaltxi, ma smuk, Eywa ngahu.
Hello, my brothers, may Eywa be with you

First thing I should point out here, is that Na'vi is not a written language. That means that the whole thing is not ment to be written, so pronouncing is very important.

Pronouncing?
Pronouncing - or "how do you speak it" - can be difficult for most of people. It's pretty simple for me, because my language is used to some of the "noises" that Na'vi requires.

You write funny
I'm not a native English. I'm Polish. I might make mistakes in my sentences

About that pronouncing...
Right... you might have noticed an x in the word Kaltxi above. You don't really read that as an x. Those are called "ejective consonants" (I will try to avoid linguistic terms, or explain them if used).

We have 3 ejective consonants in Na'vi: px, tx, kx.
You don't need to memorise that of course.

What does that mean...? p.x...
The easiest way to explain how do we pronounce that is:
Start saying "p" and fastly cut-off the air.
So it sounds like you're trying to spit... Try the same with tx and kx.
It must be a pretty energic spit thou...
Everything will be explained with details in another lessons

I will often write "pseudo-phoneticly" how to read something.
So in this case to read Kaltxi, say:
Kalt-[cut-off air]-i

Make sure to mark the 'tx' properly, so you can say that a person said Kaltxi instead of Kalti.

Am I doing it right?
You can check it here:
http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-vocabulary/
Click on the blue squares next to a word to hear how to read it properly.
Some words may hear strange... You don't have to pronounce them the funny way thou. You'll develop a way to say it normaly, no worries.

So... how to make sentences?
Na'vi is based on prefixes, sufixes, and infixes.
A prefix: pre-WORD
An infix: WO-inf-RD
A sufix: WORD-suf
So those are basicaly some letters we add before, inside, or at the end of a word.

There are many of those... prefixes for defining how many of something there is, infixes for mood, tense, where, to what, whom, etc. We will cover that in next lessons.

In the sentence above:
Eywa ngahu
May Eywa be with you

It's short in Na'vi, but it's long in English. "be with you" is covered in a suffix -hu
nga-hu
You-"be with"

We just analyzed a Na'vi sentence: marking suffixes, and translating them. That's the way we will do that here.

Ok, I'm in, what now?
You can follow my lessons here, I will add those from time to time.
You should also check out the resources thread HERE
ALSO A GOOD TIP
I have approx. 3 different notes about the Na'vi language.
One paper stack of Na'vi stuff, second is another paper stack. Those are the things I can access fastly when need info about a prefix.
My third thing is a notebook. An A4 notebook with Na'vi rules. It's a good way to categorise everything and write stuff down there. That way you can take the notebook for a trip somewhere, and for example while traveling you can read about it. Best source to writes stuff from is the wiki.
Also by wiki I mean an entry in wikibooks: [LINKY]

Quick-Link To Lesson 2- http://www.tree-of-souls.com/navi_la..._how_read.html

[Tsmu`kan]

Thanks for this!

I'll be reading your topic series a few times.

[Skxawng]

I will be watching this topic grow I've been learning lines from the film and trying to place my own together using words I know. Our Skype crew has gotton used to answering a few things in Na'vi as well as saying Hey and Bye in Na'vi

~Skxawng

[Sacred Tsahaylu]

For example,
Kaltxi ma Skxawng, oel ngati kameie. Ngaru lu fpom, srak?

Nice Walas, I can't wait for moar

[Human No More]

Excellent
I'll have to have a proper read when I'm not so tired. For now, enjoy your threads being stickied, and linked from the Language Resources sticky

[Tudhalyas]

I really like your lessons, Walas. When we gather enough information about Na'vi language and culture here, we should definitely compile a guide!

[Petrucho]

Originally Posted by Sacred Tsahaylu

For example,
Kaltxi ma Skxawng, oel ngati kameie. Ngaru lu fpom, srak?

Oe sìltsan ma skxawng. Nga tut?

[Fosus]

Originally Posted by Tzmukan Wokan

Oe sìltsan ma skxawng. Nga tut?

Doesn't srak mean a yes/no question ?


(I'm not being smart-ass, i really don't know anymore as it seems to be answered with a sentense in Activity Book as well.)

[Walas00]

yup, srak marks a yes/no question

[Fosus]

Originally Posted by Walas00

yup, srak marks a yes/no question

Ok, thanks

EDIT: Irayo

[SullyJake1]

LOVE THIS! thanks for posting these up it will make it so much easier

[Tu'te]

Kaltxi Walas00,

So much effort, thank you very much... I love the click and listen feature, fantastic
So how does one say Oel ngati kameie then, Neytiri sometimes sounds as thought she's saying...''e n ti emmeie''...?? Especially when she greets ts'utey, after landing her Ikran before Jake is tasked with catching his.

Eywa ngahu Ayeylan (is that correct??)

Oh, before I go (and the reason for logging on tonight)
Can anyone translate the Na'Vi that's sung so softly at the end of the track from the soundtrack called 'Jakes First Flight'? I'm sure I've heard eylans and mawey.... so calm friends right?

[Fosus]

Originally Posted by Tu'te

So how does one say Oel ngati kameie then, Neytiri sometimes sounds as thought she's saying...''e n ti emmeie''...?? Especially when she greets ts'utey, after landing her Ikran before Jake is tasked with catching his.

I think she only said "Ngati kame" at that point, but when they brought Jake to hometree for the very first time, she greeted her father "Oel ngati kameie"

Originally Posted by Tu'te

Eywa ngahu Ayeylan (is that correct??)

I would add "ma", but I'm not sure if that's needed.

[Walas00]

"ma" would be useful there
If you wanted to say that to your friends you should add "my friends":

Eywa ngahu ma oeyä [ay]eylan
Eywa you-with "to person" my friends

[Txum_kali'weya]

Any chance we could get lesson 15 sometime soon?