Giving AVATAR Its Voice: Creating the Na'vi Language - Paul Frommer

The linguist Paul Frommer developed the Na’vi language for James Cameron's Avatar, including its grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. He worked personally with the actors to perfect Na’vi pronunciation and handled all translations, from script, to song lyrics, to dialogue for Wii and X-Box video games related to the film. Frommer has an eclectic background that includes teaching in Malaysia with the Peace Corps, working as a strategic planner and business writer in the corporate world and, more recently, as a professor in the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. Frommer earned a doctorate in linguistics from USC, with a dissertation on aspects of Persian syntax. He also created the Martian language for the Disney film John Carter of Mars.