Difference between revisions of "Phonology"
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Any consonant can occur at the beginning of a syllable. Clusters of two consonants can occur, but only in syllable-initial position and only in the following combinations: | Any consonant can occur at the beginning of a syllable. 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. | There are thus 39 possible initial C-clusters, all of which are attested in the lexicon. |
Revision as of 05:08, 23 December 2009
The Na'vi language has 20 consonants, 7 vowels, 4 diphthongs, and 2 syllabic pseudovowels, rr and ll.
Contents
Orthography
Na'vi | IPA | Informal | English example | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
a | a | aah | father | |
ä | æ | ahh | cat, pack | |
aw | aw | aou | now | |
ay | aj | eye | eye, fly | |
ts | ts | tSS | cats | |
e | ɛ | eh | then | |
ew | ɛw | eyo | ||
ey | ɛj | aey | say | |
f | f | ff | fool | |
ng | ŋ | nng | sing | |
h | h | hh | ham | |
i | i | ee | machine | |
ì | ɪ | iih | thin, bit | |
k | k | k' | skill | unaspirated |
l | l | ll | left | |
ll | l: | lll | allow | always front and light, never /ɫ/ |
m | m | mm | man, ham | |
n | n | nn | no, tin | |
o | o | oh | mow | |
p | p | p' | spin | unaspirated |
r | ɾ | rr | ||
rr | r | rrr | strongly trilled | |
s | s | ss | see, city | |
t | t | t' | stop | unaspirated |
u | u, ʊ | oou | do | |
v | v | vuh | voice, have | |
w | w | w' | we | |
tx | t' | see ejectives, below | ||
kx | k' | see ejectives, below | ||
px | p' | see ejectives, below | ||
y | j | y' | yes | |
z | z | zz | zoo | |
' | ʔ | the middle of uh-oh |
The letters b, d, j, and q never appear in Na'vi.
Phonology
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 [ts] | ||||
Voiceless fricative | f [f] | s [s] | h [h] | ||
Voiced fricative | v [v] | z [z] | |||
Nasal | n [n] | m [m] | ng [ŋ] | ||
Liquid | r [r], l [l] | ||||
Glide | w [w] | y [j] |
The consonants ts, f and s can occur as the first element of a syllable-initial consonant cluster. The consonants px, tx, kx, p, t, k, m, n, ng, r, l, and ' can occur in syllable-final position.
The digraphs px, tx, kx, ts and ng represent the three ejectives, the affricate, and the velar nasal respectively.
Voiceless stops are unaspirated. In final position they are unreleased.
Lenition
Following certain adpositions and prefixes, initial consonants mutate as follows:
- px, tx, kx become p, t, k
- p, t, k become f, s, h
- ts becomes s
- ' disappears
Vowels
Na'vi has a 7-vowel system:
Na'vi | IPA | Notes |
---|---|---|
i | i | |
ì | ɪ | |
e | ε | always lax |
ä | æ | |
u | u or ʊ | |
o | o | |
a | a |
Diphthongs
Na'vi has four diphthongs:
Na'vi | IPA |
---|---|
aw | aw |
ew | εw |
ay | aj |
ey | εj |
Phonotactics
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.
Any consonant can occur at the beginning of a syllable. 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.
Sequences of stop + liquid, though they cannot occur initially, may be found medially. In such cases, however, a syllable boundary intervenes. Example: ikran "banshee" divides as ik-ran, not *i-kran.
Only certain consonants occur in syllable-final position. These are:
Ejectives | px | tx | kx | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stops | p | t | k | ' |
Nasals | m | n | ng | |
Liquids | r, l |
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. Examples: tsaleioae (6 syllables), meoauniaea (8 syllables).
Pseudovowels
In CV syllables, the liquids l and r can replace the vowel. When they are syllabic they are lengthened and written ll and rr respectively.
Stress
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".