Learn about 'Avatar' film's Na'vi language at Wellesley Thursday

In case you don't know Na'vi, the language spoken on the planet Pandora in the blockbuster movie "Avatar,'' meet Paul Frommer who invented it Thursday at Wellesley College.

He'll discuss his involvement with the movie in a presentation titled "The Native Voice of Avatar'' at 7:30 p.m. in Tishman Commons, Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center in Wellesley. The event is free and open to the public.

Years before filming began, Director James Cameron approached Frommer, professor emeritus of clinical management communications at the University of Southern California, to ask him to create a spoken language for the Na'vi, a species whose harmonius relationship with nature will be threatened by the arrival of humans seeking minerals.

Cameron reportedly told Frommer he wanted a language that didn't sound like any single human language.

After creating the 1,000-word language, Frommer taught it to seven actors including Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana whose inter-species love affair drives the plot.

He will discuss working with Cameron, connections between his language and the Navi peoples and the unexpected growth of a community of Na'vi enthusiasts who learn and use the language furthering its expansion.

After serving with the Peace Corps in Malaysia, Frommer he earned a doctorate in linguistics and co-authored a book "Looking at Languages.''

Frommer's lecture is part of a new course "Invented Languages: From Wilkens' Real Character to Avatar's Na'vi,'' taught Angela Carpenter, assistant professor of cognitive and linguistic sciences.

By the way, the golden-eyed woman addressed you with the traditional Na'vi greeting: "I see you.''

You might have replied, "Oe-ri ontu teya kang>u'' and watched her reaction.