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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

 
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Phonetics and Phonology

Na'vi has 20 consonants, 7 vowels, 4 diphthongs, and 2 syllabic "pseudovowels," rr and ll.

Na'vi IPA Literal English Example
a a aah "father"
ä æ ahh "cat", "pack"
aw aw aou "noun"
ay aj eye "eye", "fly"
ts c tSS "send"
e ɛ eh "then"
ew ɛw eyo "heyo"
ey ɛj aey say
f f ff "fool"
ng ŋ nng "singer"
h h hh "ham"
i i ee "machine", "city"
ì ɪ 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 [pʼ] tx [tʼ]   kx [kʼ]  
Plosive p [p] t [t]   k [k] ' [ʔ]
Affricate   ts (c) [ts]      
Voiceless fricatives f [f] s [s]     h [h]
Voiced fricatives v [v] z [z]      
Nasals m [m] n [n]   ng (g) [ŋ]  
Liquids   r [r]
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 — 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 [æ], e [ɛ], i [i], ì [ɪ], o [o], u [u] or [ʊ].

  front English Example back English Example
high i [i] "machine" u [u]
~ [ʊ]		 "dude"
"put"
ì [ɪ] "thin", "bit"
mid e [ɛ] "then", "set" o [o] "more"
low ä [æ] "cat", "pack" a [a] "father"
 

Dipthongs

Na'vi has 4 diphthongs: aw [aw], ew [εw], ay [ay], ey [εy].

(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 [εw] "heyo"
ey [εy] "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

Only certain consonants occur in syllable-final position:
Ejectives px tx kx  
Stops p t k '
Nasals 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.

Note: 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
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