Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
Visit LearnNavi on
Wiki
Forum
Downloads
Phonetics
Grammar
Vocabulary
Store
Hometree
Zìsìt-yä sngä'ikrr a-le-fpom ngaru leiu!
Hello Tonight Show / Conan O'Brien visitors. Welcome to NeverSeenLadyParts!
Free the Na'vi Language by signing the petition!
Consonants
Vowels, Diphthongs,
and "Pseudovowels"
Syllable structure
Vowel clusters
Phonology
Phonetics and Phonology
The information (...) is not intended to be anything like a complete description; the Phonetics and
Phonology section is the most complete, but the Morphology and Syntax sections are mere sketches.
Given my contractual obligations, a more thorough treatment awaits another venue. But I hope this sketch
will answer a few questions and perhaps serve to counterbalance some of the erroneous information that
has made its way to the Internet.
Paul Frommer
Hide me for a while
Learn avi.org recommends
Link opens in new window
James Cameron's Avatar
1 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59
Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
The Movie Scrapbook
Link opens in new window
The Art of Avatar
James Cameron's Epic Adventure
(Artbook)
Link opens in new window
An Activist Survival Guide
A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora
Phonetics and Phonology
Na'vi has 20 consonants, 7 vowels, 4 diphthongs, and 2 syllabic "pseudovowels," rr and ll.
a'vi IPA Literal English Example
a a aah "father"
ä ć ahh "cat", "pack"
aw aw aou "noun"
ay aj eye "eye", "fly"
ts c tSS "send"
e [ eh "then"
ew [w eyo "heyo"
ey [j aey say
f f ff "fool"
ng K
nng "singer"
2 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59
Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
h h hh "ham"
i i ee "machine", "city"
ì j iih "thin", "bit"
k k k' "cat", "skill"
l l ll "left", "bell"
ll - ldl "table"
m m mm "man", "ham"
n n nn "no", "tin"
o o oh "mow"
p p p' "pen", "spin"
r r rrd More info
rr - trtrtr Strongly trilled "r"
s s ss "see", "city"
t t t' "two"
u u oou "dude"
v v vuh "voice", "have"
w w w' "we"
tx t! More info
kx k! More info
px p! More info
y j y' "yes"
z z zz "zoo"
Consonants
There are twenty consonants:
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Ejective px [p'] tx [t'] kx [k']
Plosive p [p] t [t] k [k] ' ["]
Affricate ts (c) [ts]
Voiceless fricatives f [f] s [s] h [h]
Voiced fricatives v [v] z [z]
asals m [m] n [n] ng (g) [K
]
r [r]
Liquids
l [l]
Glides w [w] y [j]
Note the following:
The red consonants can occur as the first element of a syllable-initial consonant cluster.
The blue consonants can occur in syllable-final position.
Note also:
px, tx, kx, ts, and ng are digraphs representing the three ejectives, the affricate, and the velar nasal
respectively.
In the "scientific" transcription, ts is replaced by c and ng by g. For commercial purposes, however
3 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59
Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
 and also for ease of reading by the actors  the "official" transcription is preferred.
The letters b, d, j, and q never appear in Na'vi.
Vowels, Diphthongs, and "Pseudovowels"
Vowels
There are seven simple vowels: a [a], ä [ć], e [[], i [i], ì [j], o [o], u [u] or [Š].
front English Example back English Example
i [i] "machine"
u [u] "dude"
high
~ [Š] "put"
ì [j] "thin", "bit"
mid e [[] "then", "set" o [o] "more"
low ä [ć] "cat", "pack" a [a] "father"
Dipthongs
Na'vi has 4 diphthongs: aw [aw], ew [µw], ay [ay], ey [µy].
(A "diphthong" is when a vowel sound glides from one to another, as in "boy.")
Dipthon English Example
aw [aw] "house"
ay [ay] "fly"
ew [µw] "heyo"
ey [µy] "say"
Syllable structure and phonotactic constraints
Every syllable has a single vowel or diphthong at its center. Each vowel or diphthong in a word
corresponds to a separate syllable. A single vowel or diphthong may be a syllable by itself.
Within syllables, Na'vi vowels and diphthongs can be preceded by either one or two consonants. They can
also be followed by one consonant. That is, the syllable structure is (C)(C)V(C), where V represents a
vowel or a diphthong. Restrictions on which consonants can occur in which positions are given below.
Initial consonants
Any consonant can occur at the beginning of a syllable.
Consonant clusters
Clusters of two consonants can occur, but only in syllable-initial position and only in the following
combinations:
f, s, ts + {p, t, k, px, tx, kx, m, n, ng, r, l, w, y}
There are thus 39 possible initial C-clusters, all of which are attested in the lexicon.
Final consonants
4 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59
Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
Only certain
consonants occur in
syllable-final
position:
Ejectives px tx kx
Stops p t k '
asals m n ng
Liquids r , l
Pseudovowels
In CV syllables, the liquids l and r can replace the vowel. When they are syllabic they are lengthened (the
r is very strongly trilled, the l always front and "light") and written ll and rr respectively.
ote: Sequences of stop + liquid, though they cannot occur initially, may be found medially. In such
cases, however, a syllable boundary intervenes.
ikran (banshee) divides as ik-ran, not *i-kran.
Vowel clusters
Na'vi allows unlimited sequences of vowels in a word. If no glottal stop intervenes, the vowels in such
clusters glide smoothly from one to another. Each such vowel represents a separate syllable.
tsaleioae (6 syllables)
meoauniaea (8 syllables)
Phonetic detail and phonology
Voiceless stops are unaspirated. In final position they are unreleased.
Na'vi r is a flap, as in Spanish pero or Indonesian surat.
Word stress in Na'vi is unpredictable and distinctive. Stress must thus be specified for each word. (In
learning materials only, the stressed syllable in a word is underlined.)
tute (person)
tute (female person)
Lenition
Following certain adpositions and prefixes, initial consonants mutate as follows:
px, tx, kx -> p, t, k
p, t/ts, k -> f, s, h
Glottal stop
' -> Ø
8 Cs participate in rule:
px, tx, kx, ', p, t, ts, k
12 Cs participate do not:
f, s, h, v, z, m, n, ng, r, l, w, y
5 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59
Na'vi Phonetics and Phonology http://www.learnnavi.org/navi-phonetics/
Hometree | Store | Vocabulary | Na'vi Grammar | Na'vi Phonetics | Downloads
About | Forum | Wiki
Site and design © 2009-2010 Sebastian Wolff. Last modified: January 04, 2010, 03:03:00.
The Na'vi language was created by Paul Frommer. Much of the information displayed on this website was
written by Prof. Frommer and is presented here for educational purposes only. LearnNavi is not affiliated
with the official Avatar website, James Cameron, or the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. All
trademarks and servicemarks are the properties of their respective owners.
Welcome to Learn Na'vi! How to learn and speak Navi - Avatar's alien Na'vi Language - created by Paul
Frommer for James Cameron's movie "Avatar." Up-to-date Navi word list, dictionary/lexicon, and list of
Navi grammar rules available, only at LearnNavi.org! We're getting new content all the time. We've even
got the Na'vi alphabet (and pronounciation guides). Audio and video sections coming soon!
6 z 6 2010-01-17 17:59