TEDxUSC - Paul Frommer - Sweet Nothings in Na'vi

Whether you are communicating with a comely blue soul mate on Pandora or chatting up a potential date here on "Rrta (Earth), expressing your ardor in Na'vi is bound to earn you points. And by learning a few useful phrases, you can discover some things about language along the way.

Paul Frommer, the linguist who developed the Na'vi language for James Cameron's groundbreaking film "AVATAR," is Professor of Clinical Management Communication at the USC Marshall School of Business. in 2005, Frommer was hired by Cameron to develop an entirely new language for the Na'vi, the indigenous race of humanoids on the moon Pandora. In addition to determining the sound system and grammar of the language, he constructed vocabulary and translated the Na'vi dialog not only for "Avatar" itself but also for related video games.