2.3

## 2.3.1 - Vowel Contraction

Since identical vowels may not occur next to each other, a few grammatical processes involve a doubled vowel reducing to just one.

### **2.3.1.1**

The adjective morpheme **-a-** disappears when attached to an **a** at the start or end of an adjective, as in **apxa tute** not **\*apxaa tute**.

### **2.3.1.2**

When the dual and trial prefixes leave a sequence of two es, as in **me** + **’eveng** > **\*meeveng** (note lenition), the two vowels contract to just one, **meveng**.

### **2.3.1.3**

When the prenoun prefixes end in the same vowel the following word starts with, they reduce to one, as in **tsatan** < **tsa-** + **atan**, **fìlva** < **fì-** + **ìlva** (3.3.6). Note: the glottal stop is a consonant, so **fì'ìheyu** from **fì-** + **'iheyu**.

### **2.3.1.4**

Contraction does not occur for indefinite **-o** or enclitic adpositions. When two identical vowels occur next to each other, they are written with a hyphen between them, **fya’o-o** *some way*, **zekwä-äo** *under a finger*. Note: Though Forest Na'vi does not technically have long vowels, the effect of long vowels occurs in this situation. Take care to pronounce both **ä** in a word such as **zekwä-äo**.

### **2.3.1.5**

In Reef Na'vi vowel contraction is not applied. Forms such as **meeveng** or **apxaa** remain, where Forest Na'vi would simplify the doubled vowels.

## 2.3.2 - Pseudovowel Contraction

Due to the shape of the aspect infixes, **‹er›** and **‹ol›**, it is possible for the pseudovowels to occur immediately after their consonantal counterpart, as in **\*p‹ol›lltxe**. When this happens in an unstressed syllable, the pseudovowel disappears, **poltxe**. In a stressed syllable, the infix disappears, **\*f‹er›rrfen** > **frrfen**. Pseudovowels in monosyllables behave as though unaccented, **vol** from **\*v‹ol›ll**, and **ner** from \***n‹er›rr**.

## 2.3.3 - Affect Infix Epenthesis

When the positive affect infix **‹ei›** is followed by the vowel **i**, **ì** or a pseudovowel, a **y** is inserted, **seiyi** < **\*s‹ei›i**, **veykrreiyìn** < **\*veykrr‹ei›ìn**; **v‹ei›yll** < **\*veill**.

### 2.3.3.1

The dissimilation of **seii** into **seiyi** does not occur in Reef Na'vi.

## 2.3.4 - Reef Na'vi Voiced Stop Assimilation

In Reef Na'vi, when a word has a cluster of ejectives, such as in **atxkxe** *land*, regressive voicing assimilation takes place. That is, the onset voiced stop (\***atxge**) causes the voicing of the previous coda ejective as well, giving, **adge**. Similarly, **ekxtxu** *rough* is **egdu** in Reef Na'vi.

## 2.3.5 - Nasal Assimilation

In many compounds as well as in some idioms, final nasals assimilate to the position of the following word, as in **lumpe** as a variant of **pelun**. Such assimilation is not always written, which may make the etymology of a word clearer, as in **zenke** instead of **\*zengke**, from **zene ke**, or in the several idioms with the verb **tìng** *give*, **tìng mikyun** being pronounced **tìm mikyun**.

## 2.3.6 - Vowel Harmony

Na’vi has two instances of optional regressive vowel harmony in verb infixes.

### **2.3.6.1**

The subjunctive future infix, **‹iyev›**, most frequently appears as **‹ìyev›**, with backing of the first vowel.

### **2.3.6.2**

The vowel of the negative attitude infix, **‹äng›**, may be raised if it is immediately followed by the vowel **i**, becoming **‹eng›**, as in **tsap’alute sengi oe** *I apologize*.

## 2.3.7 - Elision

In rapid speech final -e is frequently elided when the following word starts in a vowel. **Kìyevam~~e~~ ult~~e~~ Eywa ngahu**. This is not indicated in writing. When the final -**e** is in a monosyllable (**ke**, **sre**), or when it is stressed (**tuté**), it is not elided.

### **2.3.7.1**

The vowel **ì** in **mì**, **sì** and the adverb prefix **nì-** drops before the plural prefix **ay+**, though there is no change in writing. So, **nìayfo** *like them* is pronounced as **nayfo**.

### **2.3.7.2**

The vowel in **nì-** will usually elide before a stressed **e**, as in **nì-** + **etrìp** > **netrìp**. If the **e** is unstressed, it will usually, though not always, elide, **nì-** + **eyawr** > **nìyawr**. One exception: **nìean** instead of the expected **\*nean**.

## 2.3.8 - Other Phonetic Processes

### **2.3.8.1**

In colloquial speech names containing the sequence **o’a** may eliminate the glottal stop, such as **Mo’at** ~ **Moat** and **Lo’ak** ~ **Loak**.

1. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2012/06/spring-vocabulary-part-3/
2. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2012/06/spring-vocabulary-part-3/
3. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2010/07/thoughts-on-ambiguity/
4. ↑ If nì- will Attach at 'e'
5. ↑ https://naviteri.org/2017/02/ayioang-amip-si-ayu-alahe-new-animals-and-other-things/#comment-26401