Kaltxì, ma frapo!
Just a few new words today, but I hope they’ll fill in some important gaps. And I’ll mention a few other things I think you’ll find useful as well.
NEW VOCABULARY
kian (vtr., ki.AN, inf. 1, 2) ‘blame’
Oeti kian rä’ä! Ke nolui oe!
Don’t blame me! It wasn’t my fault!
kiantu (n., ki.AN.tu) ‘blameworthy person’
Fìtìsnaytxìri lu ngeyä tsmukan kiantu.
‘Your brother is to blame for this loss.’
A word about kiantu: It may seem unusual, in that the -tu suffix is more frequently attached to an adjective or noun. (Examples: fnawe’tu ‘coward’ from fnawe’ ‘cowardly’; koaktu ‘old person’ from koak ‘old, aged’; kxutu ‘enemy’ from kxu‘harm’; pamtseotu ‘musician’ from pamtseo ‘music’; etc.) But in fact, -tu can attach to almost anything—typically an adjective or noun, but also a verb, and sometimes even an adposition (wätu ‘opponent’). Some examples of -tu with verbs:
snaytu ‘loser’ from snaytx ‘lose’
yora’tu ‘winner’ from yora’ ‘win’
spe’etu ‘captive’ from spe’e ‘capture
frrtu ‘guest’ from frrfen ‘visit’
So what’s the difference between -tu and -yu?
Yu is exclusively a verbal suffix–VERB + yu–that always means ‘the one performing the action of the verb,’ i.e., the agent. And it’s productive, in the same way that -er in English is.
Unlike –yu, however, -tu is not productive, so -tu words need to be listed in the dictionary. The meaning is not always predictable. The best we can say is: a -tu word refers to a person who is in some way associated with the base to which -tu is attached. In the case of snaytu and yora’tu, it’s the one performing the verb, i.e. the agent. In the case of spe’etu and kiantu, it’s the one receiving the action of the verb.
zin (adj.) ‘tangled’
Längu fayhìng zin nìwotx; ke tsun sat sivar.
‘Unfortunately, these threads are all tangled up; they can’t be used.’
tìzin (n., tì.ZIN) ‘a tangle(ment); mass of something twisted together’
tìzin si (vin.) ‘tangle, tangle up’
Nari si fteke ayturtelur tìzin sivi!
’Be careful not to tangle the ropes!’
kezin (adj., KE.zin) ‘untangled’
tìkezin (n., tì.KE.zin) ‘something in an untangled state, “untanglement,” solution’
Tsatìngäzìkìri tìkezin lu fyin.
‘The solution to that problem is simple.’
tìkezin si (vin.) ‘untangle; solve’
This si-verb can be used either literally, as in untangling twisted threads, or metaphorically, as in solving (= untangling) a problem.
Srake tsun nga fìingyentsimur tìkezin sivi?
‘Can you solve this riddle?’
tunu (adj., TU.nu) ‘romantic’
Ngari ’efu oe tunu.
‘I feel romantic towards you; I have romantic feelings for you.’
(NOTE: In colloquial conversation, the three consecutive vowels u-o-e cause the oe in ’efu oe to be pronounced in one syllable, as in oeti, oeri, oeru, oeta, etc.: It sounds like ‘efu we.)
Tunu refers to romantic feelings only, whereas yawne is more general. You can say Nga yawne lu oer to your spouse or romantic partner but also to your parents, siblings, children, beloved Platonic friends, pets, etc. But Ngari ’efu oe tunu is only used for romantic love and attraction.
Po yawne lu oer, slä pori ke ’efu oe tunu.
’I love him, but I don’t have romantic feelings for him.’
tìtunu (n., tì.TU.nu) ‘romance’
Awnga zenke tivung futa fìtìtunu vivar.
‘We must not allow this romance to continue.’
tunutu (n., TU.nu.tu) ‘object of desire, ”crush”’
Tunutu is different from yawntu / yawnetu. Your yawntu is your beloved, the person for whom you feel serious, mature, deep love. Your tunutu is your “crush,” someone you’re romantically attracted to. For example, your tunutu could be a movie star, while your yawntu would be your mate or spouse.
ABOUT PÌMTXAN:
A note about a word we’ve already seen, pìmtxan, which means ‘how much.’ It’s the noncountable equivalent of the word used for countables, polpxay ‘how many.’ Like polpxay, pìmtxan can be used as an adjective: polpxaya zìsìt ‘how many years’; pìmtxana pay ‘how much water.’ This means that alongside certain specific interrogative words like somwewpe ‘how hot,’ we also have structures like pìmtxana tìsom ‘how hot (= how much heat).’ The two versions are interchangeable.
SOME COLLOQUIAL OMISSIONS
In all languages, certain things can happen in casual, colloquial speech that wouldn’t be appropriate in more careful, formal styles. Na’vi is no exception. Note these examples of common omissions that occur in casual conversation. (You’re probably already familiar with them, but I wanted to gather them together in one place.)
(1) LU
More formal: Nga lu pesu? ‘Who are you?’
More colloquial: Nga pesu? ‘Who are you?’
(2) TOK
More formal: Pol tok pesenget? ‘Where is he?’
More colloquial: Pol pesenget? ‘Where is he?
(Note that even when tok is omitted, the -l and -t case markings remain obligatory.)
(3) PUM
More formal: Fìtsko lu pum oeyä. ‘This bow is mine.’
More colloquial: Fìtsko lu oeyä. ‘This bow is mine.’
IMPORTANT: The shortened versions with the omitted words are not obligatory in casual conversation! They may occur, but they don’t have to occur.
That’s it for now. Hayalovay, ma eylan. Ulte . . .
’Awvea Trr Vospxìmrrä Lefpom!
Kxì ma Karyu,
Tsaylì’uri sì sìoeyktìngìri amip, irayo nìtxan!
One question about the example words with -tu you listed: If tu has the meaning of the verb’s agent, I guess then the yu version is not used kefyak? Or could both then be used interchangable (frrtu = frrfenyu, yora’tu = yora’yu saylahe)?
-ta Merve
That’s a good question, ma Tekre—actually, one I was asking myself. Since -tu sometimes (but not always) represents the agent of a verb, there can be overlap between it and –yu, which always represents the agent. When this occurs, the -tu form is generally preferred over the -yu form.
But I’m thinking that at times, both forms might be valid, with a subtle difference between them. What is a taronyu, for example? It’s a person who habitually hunts. With that analogy, a frrfenyu would be a person who habitually visits. On the other hand, a frrtu would refer to an individual who is visiting at a specific time and place in a specific situation. So you would introduce someone who is visiting you as your frrtu, not your frrfenyu. In the same way, a yora’yu would be someone who habitually wins, while a yora’tu would be the individual who has won a specific contest or competition.
I’ll have to examine this more in more depth to see if the distinction holds up consistently.
Kaltxì ma Pawl!
Aylì’uri amip sìoeyktìngìrisì nìmun irayo nìtxan.
Vospxìmrrä ‘awvea trr lefpom (me)ngar nìteng!
Tstunwi, ma E.U.
Rewon lefpom ma nawma Karyu!
All of the new (and old!) colloquial information in this post makes my heart sing. A clarification, though. Is the u-o-e rule only applicable with ‘efu, or also in any other case where it may naturally happen? Tìtxen sìmi, ha ke tsun fpivìl pxiset.
I also see strong candidacy for an idiomatic meaning for zin, but will need to think on that one.
Irayo nìtxan!
Mako
Txe’lan a rol sunu oer nìtxan! 😊
The u-o-e rule, where oe by itself is pronounced “we,” applies in other cases as well, as in Ngaru oe new srung sivi. Good point.
Kaltxì ma Karyu Pawl!
Faylì’uri lesar sì mipa tì’oeyktìngìri irayo!
I see that you’ve thought something about solutions. hrh That’s interesting and original.
(I noticed a mistake: Tsatìngäzìkeri tìkezin lu fyin -> Tsatìngäzìkìri tìkezin lu fyin)
Trr lefpom sì vospxìmrr lefpom!
‘ä’, I butchered the word “sìoeyktìng” with my “tì’oeyktìngìri”. Ngaytxoa!
(Well, the Na’vi could argue jokingly that this month is a spelling error of the verb that means ‘try, taste, sample, evaluate’ ;))
(It’s implied that I meant sìoeyktìngìri)
Speaking of the month apparently we have vospìmrr instead of vospxìmrr?
’Ä’!!! Typo #2. 😊 Fixed it. Thanks.
I saw that too and I wonder whether it’s a mistake or a new variant considering that the same thing happened with fìtìsnaytxìri in the second example sentence. If it’s a new variant it could be confusing with the adposition -teri (but maybe that similarity is intentional).
Thanks for noticing that. No new variant—just a goof. 😄
Irayo, ma Vawmataw. And yes, that was a typo. It should have been Tsatìngäzìkìri. Thanks for pointing that out.
Mipa aylì’uri lesar oe irayi si ngaru, ma Karyu!
Sìlpey oe, fìmuntrr lìyevu mawey ngar!
Irayo ngar, ma Eltusiyu. Srane, fìmuntrr lolu oer mawey. Sìlpey oe, ngaru nìteng!
Sunu oeru faylì’u amip nìtxan nang, ma Karyu! Zene oe pamrel sivi aywayru nì’ul taluna ‘efu oe slantireti set. Irayo! ~ Alyara
Txantsan nì’aw, ma tsmuk! Sìlpey oe, tsivun oe ngeyä aywayt amip ivinan ye’rìn!
Kaltxì ma Karyu! Fìtìomumìri amip, oe irayo seiyi.
Nìprrte’, ma tsmuk.
Lesara aylì’uri amip irayo si ngaru nìtxan!
Pxaya tìngäzìkìri tìralpusengä aysa’u tìkezin sayeiyi. 🙂
Irayo, ma tsmuk. Tsafya sìlpey!
A follow-up: If tìkezin is used for ‘solution,’ does this mean that tìzin can be used as a synonym for tìngäzìk, i.e. ‘problem’?
Interesting suggestion. I had been thinking of tìzin in concrete, physical terms—a tangle of threads or hair, say. But you’re right: the word would very likely have developed a metaphorical usage as well, somewhat similar in meaning to tìngäzìk. However, although there’s some overlap, the two words are not perfect synonyms. The difference is that tìngäzìk refers to a specific problem that is to be solved or unraveled, while tìzin refers to a muddled or confused state, condition, or situation.
Zene awnga tìngäzìkur snoniviyä tìkezin sivi nìwin.
‘We need to solve the hammock problem quickly.’
Fwa fpìl nìfya’o avenga’ fìtìzinmì lu keltsun.
‘It’s impossible to think clearly (i.e., in an organized manner) in this muddled situation.’
Eltur tìtxen si ulte tslolam. 🙂
Concerning the last example, when you introduced venga’, you stated that it was ofp … does this still hold true?
Nìvingkap, hate to notice this so late but in the second example sentence is still a typo: Fìtìsnaytxeri lu … > Fìtìsnaytxìri lu …
Two good catches. Irayo!
I see that I introduced venga’ in October 2012. The “ofp” designation there was wrong. Adjectives ending in -nga’ are either not marked for ofp/nfp or are nfp. (If you discover any other exceptions to this rule, please let me know!) So I removed the ofp designation in that original post. The entry for venga’ should likewise be corrected in the dictionaries. Better late than never! 😊