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.
Ithkuil is ©2004-2021 by John Quijada. Toki Pona was invented by Sonja Lang.
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/.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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...
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"
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.
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".
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, /
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".)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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!"