Infixes, Part 2 - That’s just like, your opinion, man
Infixes can do more than indicate tense. They can also be used to communicate how the speaker feels about the verb.
In this chapter, we will answer these questions:
- What is affect, and how do we communicate it?
- What are the affect infixes?
1. “What is affect, and how do we communicate it?”
One feature of Na’vi that isn’t present in English is verbal indication of how you feel about a situation. This is called affect or judgement - it allows the speaker to indicate how they feel about the verb or other circumstantial information.
Affect is always inferred from the perspective of the speaker. If you were talking about how someone else was hunting in the rain and they weren’t happy about it, you would not use affect. However, if you were mad that someone else was hunting in the rain, then you would use affect. It is the speaker’s judgement.
To do this, we employ infix position <2>. Position <2> goes before the final vowel. As with position <1>, if there is only one vowel, it goes before that one, but AFTER position <1> infixies (if applicable).
Affect is always inferred from the perspective of the speaker. If you were talking about how someone else was hunting in the rain and they weren’t happy about it, you would not use affect. However, if you were mad that someone else was hunting in the rain, then you would use affect. It is the speaker’s judgement.
To do this, we employ infix position <2>. Position <2> goes before the final vowel. As with position <1>, if there is only one vowel, it goes before that one, but AFTER position <1> infixies (if applicable).
|
taron
t<1>ar<2>on |
yom
y<1><2>om |
2. “What are the affect infixes?”
There are presently four affect infixes. First, <ei> indicates a positive attitude or emotion. This is to say, the speaker is excited or happy about the verb.
|
tar<ei>on pxefo
those three are hunting (neat!) |
oel payoangti y<ìy><ei>om
I will soon eat fish (yay!) |
<ei> is the only infix that ends in a vowel instead of a consonant, so it has a few unique exceptions. If it is placed before an i, ì, ll, or rr, it changes into <eiy>. This ends up happening a lot in si-verbs!
|
oe ngaru srung seiyi
I help you (happily!) |
oe ngaru srung seii
INCORRECT |
Try it yourself!
Try saying “srung s<ei>i”. It kind of ends up sounding like “srung seiyi” anyway!
Try saying “srung s<ei>i”. It kind of ends up sounding like “srung seiyi” anyway!
On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, <äng> indicates negative attitude - anger or displeasure concerning the action.
fol payoangti ke y<äng>om
They aren’t eating fish (arg!)
They aren’t eating fish (arg!)
As you can see, using <ei> and <äng> add circumstantial information concerning how the speaker’s opinion about the verb. The other two affect infixes also add circumstantial information, though they relate less to emotion.
Sometimes when making a statement it is concerning something that you aren’t certain is true, but are making your best guess at. In English, this is done by adding words like “must have” or “I assume” to the sentence. Na’vi conveys inferential assumptions with the affect infix of <ats>.
|
nga txopu s<ats>i
You must be scared (based on how you’re acting, etc.) |
fo h<ìy><ats>um
[I assume] they will be leaving soon |
Finally, Na’vi has a unique affect used in ceremonial circumstances- <uy>. It’s there to fancy up speech for special occasions.
srung s<uy>i poru ma Eywa
help them, Eywa (ceremoniously)
help them, Eywa (ceremoniously)
Speaking of fancy ceremonial language, there’s some special associated pronouns.
The normal plurality rules apply to these pronouns as well (so mohe, ayhoe, pxengenga, etc. are valid). If ohe and ngenga are to be combined ala oeng, they instead take the form ohe sì ngenga / ohe ngengasì.
From the Film!
Eytukan welcomes Jake as one of the clan.
Eytukan welcomes Jake as one of the clan.
|
Eytukan:
Ngenga 'itan omatikayaä luyu set. Na'viyä luyu hapxì. You are a son of the Omatikaya now. Part of The People. |
In Summary
1. What is affect, and how do we communicate it?
Affect indicates the feelings or judgement of the speaker.
It is communicated via an infix in the verb, in position <2>.
Position <2> comes before the final vowel.
In single-vowel verbs, it comes after <1>
2. What are the affect infixes?
<ei> - positive emotion (changed to <eiy> when preceding an i, ì, ll, and rr )
<äng> - negative emotion
<ats> - informed assumption
<uy> - ceremonial tone, used alongside special pronouns
Affect indicates the feelings or judgement of the speaker.
It is communicated via an infix in the verb, in position <2>.
Position <2> comes before the final vowel.
In single-vowel verbs, it comes after <1>
2. What are the affect infixes?
<ei> - positive emotion (changed to <eiy> when preceding an i, ì, ll, and rr )
<äng> - negative emotion
<ats> - informed assumption
<uy> - ceremonial tone, used alongside special pronouns
- ohe - replaces oe
- ngenga - replaces nga
