A New Slang Method

Kaltxì ma frapo! We received an update from Karyu Pawl today regarding a slang methodology that we're excited to share with you. The initial question concerned whether or not the common phrase ke omum, I don't know, could be slanged as komum. Pawl's response was enthusiastic.

​I'd say that's entirely possible, and even likely. It's the kind of thing that happens in language all the time. (The stress would remain on the second syllable: ko.MUM)"

He went on to explain that there are many parallels in English, highlighting the etymology of the word "gonna" to explain how a similar process of elision happens naturally in fast speech.

Given the various stages of 'relaxation' it's likely to have gone through:

1. going to
2. going ta
3. goin' ta: ('Dropping g's' is a well-known dialectal phenomenon.)
4. goin' na: ( Part of a more general process, where -nt- under certain circumstances becomes simply n. No one in So. Cal. says 'Santa Monica.' It's always 'Sanna Monica.'
5. gonna: (The two adjacent vowels simplify to one.)
6. a: In some non-standard varieties, there's a 6th step: 'gonna' simplifies all the way down to 'a'! So you have things like 'I'm a whup you upside da head!'where 'a' is all that's left of 'going to.'

His response closed with an encouragement to the community to be creative and to allow slang words to develop naturally.

​I haven't done too much with Na'vi slang, but it'll be interesting to see what kinds of things develop naturally within the community!"

Siva ko, ulte 'ivong Na'vi!