Data

Tools

Indexes

Applications

Experiments

Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

https://github.com/lynn/toki-wile

a constructed language, that combines the parts of Ithkuil I find interesting with the parts of Toki Pona I find cute and learnable
https://github.com/lynn/toki-wile

Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation

a constructed language, that combines the parts of Ithkuil I find interesting with the parts of Toki Pona I find cute and learnable

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        
# toki wile 0.0.4



toki wile is a conlang that combines the parts of Ithkuil I find interesting with the parts of Toki Pona I find cute and learnable. This document, for now, assumes familiarity with Toki Pona and maybe some familiarity with Ithkuil.



I made this because I want to play with it, and find out what the interesting parts of Ithkuil feel like in a cute and learnable context. Maybe it's a lot of fun! Maybe it doesn't work at all! If you're interested, [**join the toki wile Discord**](https://discord.gg/bBcnEbxA9C).



Ithkuil is [©2004-2021 by John Quijada](http://ithkuil.net/). Toki Pona [was invented by Sonja Lang](http://tokipona.org/).



## Phonology

It's like toki pona (aeiou ptksjnlmw), but with consonant clusters and geminated consonants.



w/j do not appear in coda position, and instead there are diphthongs (`au ai eu ei oi`). Other vowel pairs like `ea` are disyllabic.



Stress is on the first syllable of each word.



/w/ has the allophone \[f\~v\] before /u/, and /j/ has the allophone \[ç\~ʝ\] before /i/.



## Words and sentences 

There are two kinds of words: **pronouns** and **formatives**.



Formatives have an Ithkuil-like fusional slot structure, and are further divided into **nouns** and **verbs**.



There are no particles. Instead, there's a case system (replacing `li`, `e`...) and a "namako" formative slot (replacing `ala`, `anu`...)



The sentence structure is:



    ((Nla) Vla) (N0)   (V1 N1) (V2 N2) (V3 N3)...

    ↑           ↑      ↑       ↑       ↑

    la-clause   head   tail    tail    tail...



`N0` is called the "head", and each `Vi Ni` is called a "tail". The meaning is basically:



    (When / Given that "Nla Vla":)  <-- optional

          "N0 V1 N1",

      and "N0 V2 N2",

      and "N0 V3 N3"...



That is, the nouns in the head `N0` "distribute" over all the verb-noun "tails". This is a generalization of the toki pona `S li V1 O1 li V2 O2`.



If present, the "la-clause" offers a clausal "context" or "condition" for the whole sentence. Its presence is marked by a verb ending in `-a` (see "Illocutions").



If there are no tails, then the nominative-case nouns in the head are linked copula-wise, "N1 is N2 (and is N3...)". So, it's a bit easier to distinguish "I eat" and "I am food" in toki wile.



## Pronouns

These are modeled after Ithkuil's PRAs. The shape is either C(C…)V, or VCCV. (When I use something like "VCCV" to describe the shape of a word, that means "vowel, consonant, consonant, vowel".)



The consonants indicate pronoun roles, and the vowels indicate cases.



    m - mi

    s - sina

    n - ona

    l - ni (demonstrative)

    t - "ni:" (next sentence)

    k - seme?



For example, `mi` is "mi li" (`-i` marks the nominative case), and `se` is "e sina" (`-e` marks the accusative case).



A consonant cluster combines referents: `sne` is "e sina e ona".



The VCCV shape rolls two pronouns into one funky word. `esmi` means the same thing as `se mi`. This is just an aesthetic thing from Ithkuil I like.



## Formatives

These are the building blocks of the language: nouns and verbs.



As in Ithkuil, the structure is divided into consonant/vowel "slots":



    (Vn +) (preverbs +) Cr + Vs + Ca (+ suffixes) + Vk



### Required slots

The **Cr** slot is the root, found in the lexicon. For example **sk** means "lukin / kule".

Each root in groups two content words from toki pona, called its two "stems".



The **Vs** slot selects a stem from the root, and marks whether this formative is a noun or verb:



    -a-   Stem 1, noun.

    -e-   Stem 2, noun.

    -au-  Stem 1, carrier noun. The next word is a name. (laule Lin = "e jan Lin")

    -eu-  Stem 2, carrier noun. The next word is a name. (leule Kiti = "e soweli Kiti")

    -o-   Stem 1, verb.

    -u-   Stem 2, verb.

    -i-   Pronoun: interpret Cr as a pronoun. This allows applying Vn, Ca, suffixes... to pronouns. (omitwe = taso-RPV-KLP-ACC)



The **Ca** slot says some things about the "configuration" of the noun or of the event described by the verb. It is described in its own section below.



The **Vk** slot marks case for nouns, and illocution for verbs. See the tables below.



### Vn

Vn is an initial vowel that I stuffed random bits of meaning in. The n stands for namako!!!



    a-  "ala" on verbs.  also on nouns: "I ate not-the-bread (implied: but I ate something else)".

    e-  no meaning, use when an initial consonant cluster is too spicy

    i-  "kin" (also), on any formative

    o-  taso (only), on any formative

    u-  anu, on any formative, links disjunctively with previous formative.



### Preverbs

You can put as many of these as you want in front of the root slot. They behave exactly as in Toki Pona. They're not currently allowed in a noun.



    -wa-  kama...

    -wi-  wile...

    -we-  awen...

    -wo-  sona...

    -wu-  lukin...

    -je-  ken...

    -jo-  open...

    -ju-  pini...



### Suffixes

The **suffixes** are each of the form "VxCx", where "Cx" is a root from the lexicon and "Vx" marks how it applies:



    -a-  Stem 1, modifier.

    -e-  Stem 2, modifier.

    -o-  Stem 1, modifier, as if preceded with "pi".

    -u-  Stem 2, modifier, as if preceded with "pi".

    -i-  Ca stacking.



This is the equivalent to compounds in Toki Pona. As an extra feature taken from Ithkuil, a "pi" on the last item marks that the modification of the root concept is "incidental" (like "jan pona = good person"), whereas its absence marks that the modification is "lexicalizing" (like "jan pona = friend").



    lale    "e jan"           (the person)

    lalape  "e jan pona"      (the friend)

    lalope  "e jan pi pona" ! (the good person)



The vowel -i- is used to stack/nest Ca configurations. For example, `lalwe` (group of people) can become `lalwilje` (a pair of groups of people).



If the consonant cluster in a suffix is -st-, it is a case accessor suffix. This always makes a noun even if Vs marks verb status.



    -ist  "one who V-s"

    -est  "one who is V-ed"

    -ust  "haver of N"

    -ast  "context for N or for doing V"

    -aust "goal of N, purpose of V-ing"

    -eust "what is used by N, or used for V-ing"

    -ost  "place where N is, or where V-ing happens"

    -east "manner of V-ing"

    -aist "similar to N, or what V-ing is done like"



## Cases

These mark the role of the noun in the sentence.



    -i   nominative, subject (tp: li)

    -e   accusative, object (tp: e)

    -u   genitive (scopes on the previous word. covers one sense of pi)

    -a   X la (as in "tenpo pini la". see -a illocution)

    -au  tawa X

    -eu  kepeken X

    -o   lon X

    -ea  tan X

    -ai  sama X

    -oi  "o!" (vocative)



The "genitive" is really a broad appositive case, not limited to "genitive" in the Ithkuil sense.



## Illocutions

Illocution marks whether this verb is an assertion, question, command...



Also, for assertions, it marks evidentiality (the source of the information you're asserting).



    -i   "mi lukin / mi pali"

           I'm asserting this based on direct, present, outside experience.

           This includes statements about what I'm doing.



    -o   "mi sona"

           I'm asserting this based on indirect knowledge.

           Memory, hearsay, hunches, conventional wisdom...



    -e   "mi pilin"

           I'm stating my opinion or internal feelings.



    -oi  "o!" (hortative)

           Not an assertion: I'm expressing a wish that things be this way,

           or a command for the listener to make things be this way,

           or (with "moi") expressing that I should make it be this way.



    -ai  performative

           This is true by virtue of me saying it's hereby true!

           For example, "I hereby apologize" or "I hereby greet you" (=hello).



    -u   "anu seme?"

           Marks a question. Yes/no, or wh-question if there's a -k- pronoun.



           By the way, you can use "nwo-" (lon) to answer yes/no questions,

           or you can repeat the verb. Either way, you should probably copy

           the Ca from the question verb, and use appropriate evidentiality.



    -a   marks la-clause

           Not really an illocution, just marks the end of Vla.

           See "Sentence structure".



## Lexicon

I've only listed the toki pona content words associated with the two stems.

* When used as a root in a noun formative, these have the toki pona noun meaning.

* When used as a root in a verb formative, these have the toki pona verb meaning.

* When used as a suffixes, these have the meaning they have as toki pona modifiers in compounds.



An entry like `-PL- olin, suwi` means: pla- is olin/noun, ple- is suwi/noun, plo- is olin/verb, plu- is suwi/verb.



```

    -K- ike, jaki

    -KJ- pakala, utala

    -KK- moli, kipisi

    -KL- kute, kalama

    -KS- musi, nasa

    -KW- kiwen, ko

    -L- jan, soweli

    -LJ- kala, pipi

    -LK- kasi, kili

    -LL- telo, kon

    -LN- luka, noka

    -LNSKW- kijetesantakalu, /

    -LS- soko, /

    -LT- oko, uta

    -LW- akesi, waso

    -M- ma, tomo

    -MJ- moku, pan

    -MK- namako, misikeke

    -ML- mije, meli

    -MM- mama, /

    -MP- nena, lupa

    -MS- suno, mun

    -MT- sike, leko

    -MW- tawa, kama

    -N- nanpa, nimi

    -NJ- wan, tu

    -NK- lawa, poka

    -NL- linja, len

    -NM- jasima, /

    -NN- mute, ale

    -NP- anpa, sewi

    -NS- insa, selo

    -NSJ- sinpin, monsi

    -NT- ante, monsuta

    -NW- lon, weka

    -P- pona, epiku

    -PJ- sijelo, unpa

    -PK- pu, ku

    -PL- olin, suwi

    -PP- suli, lili

    -PS- seli, lete

    -PW- wawa, lape

    -S- pilin, sona

    -SJ- ijo, kulupu

    -SK- lukin, kule

    -SM- sama, tonsi

    -SP- walo, pimeja

    -SPJ- loje, jelo

    -SPW- laso, unu (purple)

    -SS- jo, lanpan

    -ST- (marks case accessor suffix)

    -SW- wile, alasa

    -T- toki, sitelen

    -TJ- pali, pana

    -TL- ilo, kepeken

    -TM- mani, esun

    -TP- lipu, poki

    -TS- open, pini

    -TT- tan, nasin

    -TW- tenpo, awen

    -XZ- yupekosi, /

```



## Ca

It's the fun part of Ithkuil! Here's a table.



```

   Extension   Perspective   Pronoun   Configuration

   =========   ===========   =======   =============

   ALE:  Ø     NRM: l²       (see ¹)   WAN:    Ø

   INSA: s     RPV: t                  TU:     j

   OPEN: k     N:   n                  KLP:    w

   PINI: p



   ¹ A "pronoun infix" in Ca is allowed *only when Ext is Ø*.

       * On a noun, they express a genitive: lenmwe = "lenwe mu", twallo = "twalo lu"

       * On a verb, they express a subject: pwutni = "ni pwuti"

   ² NRM -l- is omitted if preceded by non-null Ext or before pronoun "m".

     This is equivalent to applying the substitutions sl→s kl→k pl→p lm→m.

```



(The order these apply in to a root is: Configuration → Extension → Perspective. What that boils down to is that -stw- means `root.w().s().t()` "hypothetical part of a group", not `root.s().t().w()` "a group of hypothetical middle parts".)



### Extension

* ALE (Ø) describes a whole thing.

* INSA focuses a middle or part of something. For verbs, it acts like a continuous tense.

* OPEN focuses the start/head of something. For nouns, this might be the source of a river or the entryway of a house — interpretation is a bit creative.

* PINI focuses the end of something. For nouns, this might be like the last bit of food left, or the butt of a cigarette.



### Perspective

* NRM describes a real specific instance.

* RPV describes a hypothetical, unspecific, imagined instance. On verbs, it's like a subjunctive.

* N describes general claims, like "birds fly" (as a rule). It makes "kinds" out of nouns (a bird → "birds in general") and acts like a gnomic aspect for verbs.



### Configuration

* WAN describes "one thing" at a time: one bird, or many birds each in isolation.

* TU describes a pair acting/occuring together, or many pairs each in isolation.

* KLP (kulupu) describes a group acting/occuring together, or many groups each in isolation.



The point here is that configuration is not pluralization. In Ithkuil terms, the distinction between Monadic and non-Monadic is unmarked. So, `lweli` means "a bird" or "birds (a bird here, a bird there)", while `lwelwi` means "a flock of birds" but also "flocks (a flock here, a flock there)". You can use suffixes -anj (one) or -ann (many) to be more explicit about number.



## Interjections



When you say a word that consists of just one letter, it's an interjection.



* a: "a!"

* e: "what!? seriously?"

* i: "same, me too, relatable, ikr, ikwym"

* k: "psh, yeah right, ugh, ew, wtf!"

* l: "yay! yum! how lovely!"

* m: "umm..."

* n: "I see, gotcha"

* s: "don't worry, sure, no prob"

* t: "lol, hahaha, nice, 💯"

* u: "mu!"