Questions
Up until this point we have only been working with statements- I eat fish, he ran, you must soon go. When stating facts, these are useful. But sometimes, you won't know all the facts, and need to ask for information. In this lesson we will cover how to ask questions in Na’vi.
In this chapter, we will answer these questions:
- How do you ask questions in Na'vi?
- How do you ask a yes-no question?
- How do you ask a wh-question?
- How do you make a statement of wonder?
1. “How do you ask questions in Na'vi?”
Simply adding a question mark to a Na'vi sentence and inflecting your tone when speaking does not make a statement a question in Na'vi. Consider again the language's flexible word order- If I were to ask "which fish will the hunters eat", we need to be able to tell the difference between asking "which fish" vs. "which hunters".
Na'vi employs a variety of tools to indicate a question statement. Knowing which tool to use requires understanding what type of question you are asking. Fundamentally, there are 4 different kinds of questions- yes-no, confirmation, wh-questions, and statements of wonder.
Na'vi employs a variety of tools to indicate a question statement. Knowing which tool to use requires understanding what type of question you are asking. Fundamentally, there are 4 different kinds of questions- yes-no, confirmation, wh-questions, and statements of wonder.
2. “How do you ask a yes-no question?”
As one might guess, a yes-no question is a question that can be answered with yes or no. In English, these often take the form of "Is…", "Did…", "Was…", or "Will…", depending on the tense or verb.
Any statement can be made into a yes-no question. To do so, you simply add srak to the end, or srake to the beginning.
Any statement can be made into a yes-no question. To do so, you simply add srak to the end, or srake to the beginning.
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ngal payoangti yayom
you will eat fish |
srake ngal payoangti yayom
Y/N: you will eat fish? / Will you eat fish? |
ngal payoangti yayom srak
Y/N: you will eat fish? / Will you eat fish? |
sran(e) |
(intj.) |
yes |
kehe |
(intj.) |
no |
srak(e) |
(part.) |
marker for yes/no questions |
Think like the Na’vi!
srak(e) comes from srane + kehe - literally "yes-no"
srak(e) comes from srane + kehe - literally "yes-no"
Srake and srak are functionally equivalent, and you are free to use whichever you feel, so long as srake is the first word, or srak is the last. However, always respect your listener when speaking- if you know the question statement is long and contains many complicated parts, it is useful to know that it is a question upfront with srake. For shorter statements, srak at the end is more common.
Another flavor of the yes-no question is a confirmation question. This is when you believe something to be true, but are asking for confirmation from the listener. In English, this is done by adding "..., right?" to the end of a statement. Na'vi handles these kinds of statements with a similar particle- kefyak. This word actually comes from ke fìfya srak (not this way?)- a srak question.
Another flavor of the yes-no question is a confirmation question. This is when you believe something to be true, but are asking for confirmation from the listener. In English, this is done by adding "..., right?" to the end of a statement. Na'vi handles these kinds of statements with a similar particle- kefyak. This word actually comes from ke fìfya srak (not this way?)- a srak question.
ngal payoangti yayom, kefyak?
you will eat fish, right?
you will eat fish, right?
This word, like srak, only comes at the end of a sentence.
3. “How do you ask a wh-question?”
A wh-question is asking about a specific noun. In English, this is done with what, which, when, where, why, who, and how (it wouldn't be English without an exception). If you think about it, all of these could be rephrased as "which something". The word "when?" is essentially asking "which time?". "Where?" is "which place?", "who?" is asking "which person?", and so on.
Na'vi can take any noun and transform it into a wh-question word. This is done by attaching -pe+ to a noun. This can either be a suffix (-pe) or a prefix (pe+). Note that in the case of the prefix version, it has the + indicator, so lenition happens. So, there are two ways of forming a question-noun-word.
Na'vi can take any noun and transform it into a wh-question word. This is done by attaching -pe+ to a noun. This can either be a suffix (-pe) or a prefix (pe+). Note that in the case of the prefix version, it has the + indicator, so lenition happens. So, there are two ways of forming a question-noun-word.
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peioang / ioangpe
which animal? |
pehelku / kelkupe
which home? |
To use these question nouns, you insert them any place you would use a noun. Remember to include any appropriate case endings- we still need to know how the question-noun relates to the verb. Note how the addition of the question word transforms the sentence:
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ngal payoangti yom
you eat fish ferewi ioangìl ngat
an animal is chasing you |
ngal pefayoangti yom
you eat which fish? / what fish do you eat? ferewi ioangpel ngat
which animal is chasing you? |
Notice in the case of the suffix-version of -pe, the case ending goes after it, not before. The case ending is always at the end!
|
yerikit tolaron taronyupel
which hunter hunted the hexepede? |
taronyulpe yerikit tolaron
INCORRECT! |
These specific question nouns are great, but sometimes your question is a little more broad. You may not know what thing someone is holding, or who is attending a party. Some of these vague question words, which are derived from vague nouns. Take note of the patterns that form them!
ROOT WORD |
Prefix Form |
Suffix Form |
Meaning |
'u (n.) thing, object, fact |
peu |
'upe |
"What [thing]?" |
kem (n.) action, activity |
pehem |
kempe |
"What [action]?" |
krr (n.) time |
pehrr |
krrpe |
"When?" (which time) |
fya'o (n.) way, path, manner |
pefya |
fyape |
"How?" (which way) |
tute (n.) person |
pesu* |
tupe |
"Who?" (which person) |
lun (n.) reason |
pelun |
lumpe** |
"Why?" (which reason) |
tseng(e) (n.) place |
peseng |
tsengpe |
"Where?" (which place) |
*: some words are shortened to forms commonly used in derivations.
**: through a process called nasal assimilation, "np" can become "mp".
**: through a process called nasal assimilation, "np" can become "mp".
4. “How do you make a statement of wonder?”
Most of the time when you ask a question, you assume the person you are talking to knows the answer, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes we just wonder aloud, pondering questions that we don't think anyone quite has the answer to.
These "wondering aloud" statements only require a single modification from the questions we've covered in this chapter- the <ats> verb infix. As you may remember, <ats> goes in infix position <2>, and is usually used for stating assumptions based on evidence. Don't forget to also include the question word- either -pe+ or srak.
These "wondering aloud" statements only require a single modification from the questions we've covered in this chapter- the <ats> verb infix. As you may remember, <ats> goes in infix position <2>, and is usually used for stating assumptions based on evidence. Don't forget to also include the question word- either -pe+ or srak.
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pehrr tarpongu hatsum
(I wonder) when will the hunting party will return… |
srake tarpongu hatsum
(I wonder) if the hunting party will return… |
In Summary
1. How do you ask questions in Na'vi?
Adding key "question words" transforms a statement into a question.
2. How do you ask a yes-no question?
By adding either srak or srake to a sentence.
3. How do you ask a wh-question?
By adding the prefix pe+ or suffix -pe to a noun, it becomes the central question-noun.
Some common question words have slightly shortened variants.
4. How do you make a statement of wonder?
By including <ats> in the verb of a question statement, it implied the speaker assumes those who may hear do not know the answer.
Adding key "question words" transforms a statement into a question.
2. How do you ask a yes-no question?
By adding either srak or srake to a sentence.
- srake goes at the beginning of a sentence.
- srak goes at the end
3. How do you ask a wh-question?
By adding the prefix pe+ or suffix -pe to a noun, it becomes the central question-noun.
Some common question words have slightly shortened variants.
4. How do you make a statement of wonder?
By including <ats> in the verb of a question statement, it implied the speaker assumes those who may hear do not know the answer.
NA'VI AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
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Modal Verbs
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Adpositions
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