Attitude and Voice
Na'vi 1
Course 1 · Chapter 6 · Attitude and Voice
Chapter 5 showed how a verb gets its time. This chapter completes the verb: the second infix slot, where the speaker says how they feel about what they are saying, and the extra infixes in the first slot that turn a verb into "cause to", "oneself" or "the one who does it". By the end you can read a verb with two infixes and explain what each one is doing, including the one inside the greeting kameie.
Position 2: The Speaker's Attitude
In English, a speaker shows feeling with a word or a tone ("happily", "unfortunately", a sigh). Na'vi builds it into the verb, in the last syllable:
| Infix | What it shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ei- | the speaker is pleased about it | kam<ei>e "see" (gladly) |
| -äng- | the speaker is displeased about it | l<ol><äng>u "was (ugh!)" |
| -ats- | the speaker is unsure it is accurate | marks doubt about the statement |
| -uy- | the speaker is showing respect | an honorific |
Two small spelling rules: after the sounds i, ì, ll and rr, -ei- is written -eiy-, and after i, -äng- is written -eng-.
The Greeting Again
You can now see why Oel ngati kameie is a warm phrase and not a bare statement of fact. The verb kame "to see" is the plain verb; the infix ei in its last syllable adds the speaker's happiness to it.
Position 1: More Than Tense
Position 1, the second-to-last syllable, holds the tense and aspect infixes of Chapter 5 and a few more that change the verb's role:
| Infix | Meaning | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| -eyk- | causative: "make someone do it" | the doer moves into the dative; the thing acted on stays the same |
| -äp- | reflexive: "do it to oneself" | the object is the subject; used with the pronoun sno (Chapter 4) |
| -us- | active participle: "doing" | "the one who …" as an adjective |
| -awn- | passive participle: "done" | "the thing that was …" as an adjective |
The reflexive and the causative can sit beside a tense infix, and then they come first: -äp- and -eyk- are placed before the tense infix. They can also combine, as -äpeyk-.
The Subjunctive
After a verb of wanting or ability, Na'vi marks the second verb with a subjunctive infix such as -iv-: the verb yom "eat" becomes y<iv>om, as in a sentence that means "the chef wants them to eat the food", where the word new "want" governs it. Several forms of this infix exist, one for each tense and aspect.
Putting It Together: Two Slots, Many Meanings
When a verb carries both slots, read it from the outside in. These two forms are examples:
The order is the same each time: first the infix for time, aspect or voice, then the infix for attitude. A one-syllable verb keeps them in that order after its single consonant.
- "Na'vi grammar has no way to be polite." It has the honorific infix -uy-, the formal pronouns of Chapter 4, and fixed courtesy phrases.
- "The attitude infixes are slang." They are regular grammar, taught in the reference books like any other infix.
- "You must use every infix." A plain verb is normal and common.
Hands-On Exercises
Using taron "to hunt", form: (a) hunt, pleased; (b) hunt, displeased; (c) will hunt, pleased; (d) was just hunting, displeased. Then do the same with kame for "see, displeased". Mark each infix and name its slot.
📄 View solutionDecode each form: t<ay>ar<äng>on, t<ìrm>ar<ei>on, l<ol><äng>u. Name each infix, its slot, and give a translation including the speaker's feeling.
📄 View solutionExplain in your own words how English and Na'vi show the speaker's feelings about an action, using the example of someone who is glad to see you and someone who is not. Say what Na'vi can express in one verb that English needs several words for, and one thing English does that Na'vi does not.
📄 View solutionChapter 6 Quick Reference
- Position 2 (last syllable): attitude: -ei- pleased, -äng- displeased, -ats- unsure, -uy- honorific
- Spelling: -eiy- after i, ì, ll, rr; -eng- after i
- Position 1 also holds: -eyk- causative, -äp- reflexive, -us- active participle, -awn- passive participle
- Subjunctive after "want" and "can": for example y<iv>om
- Order: voice or tense infix first, attitude infix second; one-syllable verbs take both after the first consonant
- kameie = kame + ei (plain "see" plus a glad speaker)