6.2

## 6.2.1 - Number

**6.2.1.1** When used with an attributive numeral, nouns are not marked for number, **mrra zìsìt** *five years*.

**6.2.1.2** The adjectives of quantity — **’a’aw** *several*, **hol** *few*, **pxay** *many*, **polpxay**, **holpxaype** *how many?* — also take singular nouns in attributive phrases, **lu poru ’a’awa ’eylan** *he has several friends*.

**6.2.1.3** In colloquial speech, number may be marked with the adjective **pxay** *many*, **lu awngar aytele apxay a teri sa’u pivlltxe** *we have many matters to talk about*.

**6.2.1.4** With verbs of identity (**lu** and **slu**), the basic rule of number marking in Na’vi is, “in referring to the same entity, express number only once per clause.”

* **Menga lu karyu**. *You two are teachers*.
* **Fo lu karyu**. *They are teachers*.
* **Menga lu oeyä ’eylan**. *You two are my friends*.

In the first two sentences, **karyu** is not marked for number since the pronouns are already marked, and the same for **’eylan** in the third sentence. But see 6.3.2 for the question pronoun **tupe**.

**6.2.1.5** General statements about a group or class use nouns in the singular, **nantangìl yom yerikit**, *viperwolves eat hexapedes*.

## 6.2.2 - Indefinite

The adjective **lahe** *other* has the sense of *else* when used with indefinite nouns having the suffix **-o**, as in **lu law ’uo alahe, ma eylan** *something else is clear, my friends*.

## 6.2.3 - Free Choice Indefinites

Na’vi uses the adjective **ketsran** *no matter (what), whatever* with generic nouns to create free choice indefinites. The clause with **ketsran** often, though not always, takes the subjunctive,

* **Ketsran tute nivew hivum, poru plltxe san rutxe ’ivì’awn.**
	+ *No matter who wants (or: may want) to leave, tell them to please stay.*
* **’U aketsran tsun tivam.**
	+ *Anything at all will be fine.*
* **Ketsran fya’o sivunu ngar, kem si.**
	+ *Do it however you’d like.*
* **Pukit aketsran ivinan.**
	+ *Read any book at all.*

## 6.2.4 - Apposition

Nouns in apposition to other nouns are in the subjective case, **aylì’ufa awngeyä ’eylanä a’ewan Markusì** *in the words of our young friend, Marcus*. However, the conjunction **alu** is also used for this (see 6.20.1).

**6.2.4.1** Titles act as noun modifiers, and are thus not declined when used with proper names. The dative of **Karyu Pawl** “teacher Paul” is **Karyu Pawlur**.

## 6.2.5 - Adjective Attribution

Attributive adjectives are joined to the noun they modify with the affix **-a-** (see 3.5.1), **sìlpey oe, layu oeru ye’rìn sìltsana fmawn** *I hope I will soon have good news*, **lora aylì’u, lora aysäfpìl** *beautiful words and beautiful thoughts*.

**6.2.5.1** Regardless of the order of noun and adjective, the case endings always attach to the noun, never the adjective. Similarly, an enclitic adposition is always attached to the noun (see 6.5.1).

**6.2.5.2** When an adverb is used with an attributive adjective, it must not come between the adjective and its noun, that is, **sìkenong ahìno nìhawng** very detailed examples or **nìhawng hìnoa sìkenong**, never something like **\*hìno nìhawnga sìkenong**.

**6.2.5.3** If there are two adjectives modifying a noun, Frommer has a tendency to order them Adj - N - Adj, **nìawnomum tolel oel ta ayhapxìtu lì’fyaolo’ä pxaya sìpawmit atxantsan** *as you know, I have received many excellent questions from members of the language community.*

**6.2.5.4** For more than two adjectives, or to use some order other than Adj - N - Adj given above, the adjectives must be put into an attributive clause with **lu**, **yayo a lu lor sì hì’i** *a small, pretty bird*.

**6.2.5.5** A single adjective may be repeated on both sides of the noun to mark intensity. The second adjective receives the phrase stress, **lu po lora tuté alor** *she’s an extremely beautiful woman*.

**6.2.5.6** When repeating a noun with different adjectives (“the big dog, the little dog, the yappy dog,” etc.) the prop noun **pum** is used for the repetitions, **lam set fwa Sawtute akawng holum, pum asìltsan ’ì’awn** *it now seems that the evil sky-people are gone, the good ones remain*. However, if a more specialized general term is available it is more elegant to use that. In answer to **polpxaya taronyu kelku si tsatsraymì?** *how many hunters live in that village?* the more elegant reply is **tute amevol** *sixteen people*, though **pum amevol** is still perfectly possible.

**6.2.5.7** The noun element in most **si** constructions verb may have an attributive adjective, **wina uvan si** *play a quick game*.

## 6.2.6 - Predication

Adjective and noun predicates both use the same construction with the verb **lu** *be*, as in **reltseotu atxantsan lu nga** *you are an excellent artist*, **fìsyulang lu rim** *this flower is yellow*.

**6.2.6.1** Other verbs that take predicative syntax: **slu** *become* and **’efu** *feel*, such as in **ngenga slìyu Na’viyä hapxì** *you will become part of the people*, **oe ’efu ohakx** *I am (feel) hungry*.

**6.2.6.2**If there is ambiguity with **slu** *become* about which constituent is the subject and which the predicate, the predicate can be marked with the adposition **ne**, as in **taronyu slu ne tsamsiyu** *the hunter becomes a warrior*.

**6.2.6.3** **Sleyku**, the causative of **slu** *become*, also takes an adjective predicate, **fula tsayun oeng pivängkxo ye’rìn ulte ngari oel mokrit stayawm, oeti nit ram sleyku nìtxan** *it makes me very happy that we two will soon be able to chat and that I will hear your voice.*

## 6.2.7 - Comparison

Adjective comparatives and superlatives (big, bigger, biggest) are marked with the particle to, which, like an adposition, may come before the noun compared to or be enclitic on it (2.1.5.3).

* **Oe to nga lu koak** *I am older than you.*
* **Oe ngato lu koak** *I am older than you.*

**6.2.7.1** The superlative is handled with **frato** *than all*, **fìsyulang arim lu hì’i frato** *this yellow flower is the smallest of all*.

**6.2.7.2** Comparisons of equality, “as big as a tree,” are handled with the idiom **nìftxan** *adjective* **na** *noun or pronoun*, as in **oe lu nìftxan sìltsan na nga** *I am as good as you*. If the point of comparison is a pronoun, or definite noun already part of the discourse, the topical case may be used, **ngari lu oe nìftxan sìltsan**. This construction is also usable with adverbs.

## 6.2.8 - Direct Address

When speaking to an individual directly the vocative particle ma comes immediately in front of the relationship noun, noun phrase or name, **oel ayngati kameie, ma oeyä eylan** *I see you, my friends*, **ma Tsu’tey, kempe si nga?** *Tsu’tey, what are you doing?*.

**6.2.8.1** With polar questions, the vocative follows the final **srak**, as in **ngaru lu fpom srak, ma Txewì?** *how are you, Txewì?* And while it is most common for the vocative to come at the beginning or end of a clause, it may occur within a clause, **nga, ma Neytiri, plltxe nìltsan** *you, Neytiri, speak well*.

**6.2.8.2** If multiple individuals are addressed **ma** is not repeated, **ma smukan sì smuke** *brothers and sisters*.

**6.2.8.3** The vocative is obligatory when speaking to people (and Eywa), but optional when talking to animals.

**6.2.8.4** Collective nouns may take the suffix **-ya**, as in **mawey, Na’viya, mawey** *(be) calm, people, (be) calm!*

## Open Questions

**6.2.1** - Are the dual and trial collective vs. plural distributive? Or always obligatory?

**6.2.6.3** - What about **’eykefu**?

1. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2010/07/vocabulary-update/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://naviteri.org/2011/07/number-in-na%E2%80%99vi/
3. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2013/03/whoever-whatever-whenever/
4. ↑ http://naviteri.org/2013/02/vospxi-ayol-posti-apup-short-post-for-a-short-month/
5. ↑ Numbers and "Ow"