Four years ago James Cameron realised that Na’vi people need their own language and hired Paul Frommer, University of Southern California professor, to develop it.
It took Frommer several years to design a fully functional language with almost 1,000-word vocabulary. These words aim to cover basic situations in alien’s life. Initially the names of the characters were created by Cameron himself, which, according to Frommer, had Polynesian sounds. So he had to construct a whole new alien language which, however, could be learned and pronounced by human actors.
The Times compiled a small list of phrases of the new language so that we can have an idea how it is going to sound.
It’s a pleasure to be able to chat with you in Na’vi
Tsun oe ngahu nìNa’vi pivängkxo a fì’u oeru prrte’ lu
I apologise for this moron
Fìskxawngìri tsap’alute sengi oe
These demons are forbidden here
Fayvrrtep fìtsenge lu kxanì
Your alien smell fills my nose
Oeri ta ngeyä fahew akewong ontu teya längu (from The Times)
It seems quite difficult to say these sentences, so we can only imagine what a hard work the actors had to do in order to speak it fluently in the movie.
However, Na’vi language is not the only example of an artificial language used in movies. So we decided to make a list of the most famous constructed languages.
Klingon
Probably the most influential one. Klingon became famous as part of Star Trek series. Developed in 1984 by Marc Okrand, it led to the creation of The Klingon Language Institute and many Star Trek fans who can actually speak it fluently.
Unlike other constructed languages, Klingon has a complicated grammar, vocabulary and writing system which are similar to ‘real’ languages. It started to gain worldwide popularity in 1985 when Marc Okrand published The Klingon Dictionary, which can be used as a general guide.
It is still very popular today: recently the dictionary was released as an iPhone application with pronunciation and grammar guides. It is true to say that Klingon went beyond movies – several works of literature, including Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, have been translated into it.
Quenya and Sindarin
The Lord of the Rings fans would definitely recognize these two. J. R. R. Tolkien has been working on these languages from 1915 to 1973.
Tolkien did not just tell stories about elves, dwarfs and other creatures. He wanted them to speak authentic languages which would reflect their nature. Being a professional linguist helped Tolkien to develop one of the most well-constructed examples of artificial languages.
But he also wanted to his languages to sound beautiful so he paid a lot of attention to sounds. Throughout the career, Tolkien wrote poems in these languages and invented a special script called Tengwar. Most of us have seen it: the inscription on the ring in Peter Jackson’s film is made in Tengwar.
Although it was designed by a single person, Tengwar looks beautiful and is still used for decorative purposes.
Nadsat
A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess in 1962, has gained a special status in modern culture, especially after it was adapted for cinema by Stanley Kubrick.
Those who have read the book know that Burgess is using numerous words which he invented. Burgess, who could speak 13 languages, combined English, Russian and German to create this teen slang.
Nadsat is different to Tolkien’s Elvish because it does not have certain grammar rules. Burgess did not use any specific script as well, he just used Latin alphabet to write the words he invented.
Since Kubrick’s film has been released, Nadsat inspired many linguistic studies followed by large fan communities aiming to speak it in real life.
These three are probably the most influential languages constructed by individuals. There have been other outstanding examples such as Aramaic (reconstructed by William Fulco for Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ) and so-called ‘Divine language’ developed by Luc Besson and Milla Jovovich for The Fifth Element.
Considering that there have been a number of great achievements in this area, it seems interesting whether Na’vi would be as popular as its predecessors.
by Zair Kashek
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