View source for Toki Pona

{{good article}}
{{short description|Constructed language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Toki Pona
| nativename       = ''toki pona''
| pronunciation    = {{IPA-all|ˈtoki ˈpona|}}
| speakers         = 
| familycolor      = constructed languages
| family           = [[constructed language]], combining elements of the subgenres [[personal language]] and [[philosophical language]]
| creator          = Sonja Lang
| created          = 2001
| setting          = testing principles of [[minimalism]], the [[Linguistic relativity|Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]] and [[pidgin]]s
| posteriori       = [[a posteriori language]], with elements of [[English language|English]], [[Tok Pisin]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Acadian French]], [[Esperanto]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
| script           = [[Latin script]]; ''sitelen pona'' ([[Logogram|logographic]]); ''sitelen sitelen'' ([[Logogram|logographic]] with an [[alphasyllabary]] for foreign words); and numerous other unofficial scripts
| sign             = ''toki pona luka'' (official)
| iso3             = none
| image            = toki pona.svg
| imagesize        = 100px
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = none
}}

'''Toki Pona''' ({{IPA-all|ˈtoki ˈpona}}; {{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|t|oʊ|k|i|_|ˈ|p|oʊ|n|ə}}) is a [[Philosophical language|philosophical]] [[Artistic language|artistic]] [[constructed language]] (or philosophical artlang) known for its small vocabulary. It was created by Canadian linguist and translator Sonja Lang<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|last=Morin|first=Roc|date=2015-07-15|title=How to Say (Almost) Everything in a Hundred-Word Language|work=[[The Atlantic]]|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/toki-pona-smallest-language/398363/|access-date=2019-08-01}}</ref> for the purpose of simplifying thoughts and communication. It was first published online in 2001 as a draft,<ref name=":6" /> and later in complete form in the book ''Toki Pona: The Language of Good'' in 2014.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Simon|date=2018-03-27|title=Exploring Toki Pona: do we need more than 120 words?|url=https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2018/03/27/toki-pona-invented-language-120-words/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511184141/https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2018/03/27/toki-pona-invented-language-120-words/|archive-date=2019-05-11|access-date=2019-02-03|website=Oxford Dictionaries}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Lang|first=Sonja|title=Toki Pona: The Language of Good|publisher=Tawhid|year=2014|isbn=978-0-9782923-0-0|pages=134}}</ref> A small community of speakers developed in the early 2000s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Roberts|first=Siobhan|date=2007-07-09|title=Canadian has people talking about lingo she created|language=en-ca|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/canadian-has-people-talking-about-lingo-she-created/article20399052/|access-date=2017-03-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Јовановић|first=Тијана (Tiyana Yovanovich)|date=2006-12-15|title=Вештачки језици|trans-title=Artificial languages|url=http://www.politikin-zabavnik.co.yu/tekst.php?broj=2862&tekst=04|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070610173202/http://www.politikin-zabavnik.co.yu/tekst.php?broj=2862&tekst=04|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-06-10|journal=Политикин Забавник (Politikin Zabavnik)|language=sr|issue=2862}}</ref> While activity mostly takes place online in chat rooms, on social media, and in other groups, there were a few organized in-person meetings during the 2000s<ref name=":6" /> and 2010s.

The underlying feature of Toki Pona is [[minimalism]]. It focuses on simple universal concepts, making use of very little to express the most. The language is [[Isolating language|isolating]] and has around 123 [[root word]]s and 14 [[phoneme]]s<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":6" /> that are easy to pronounce across different languages. However, it was not created to be an [[international auxiliary language]]. Inspired by [[Taoist philosophy]], the language is designed to help users concentrate on basic things and to promote positive thinking, in accordance with the [[Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis|Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]]. Despite the small vocabulary, speakers are able to understand and communicate with each other, mainly relying on context and combinations of several words to express more specific meanings.

==Etymology==
The name of the language is constituted by {{lang|mis|toki}} (language),<ref name=":21">{{Cite web|date=2009-09-28|title=Toki Pona word origins|url=http://en.tokipona.org/wiki/Etymology_of_Toki_Pona_words|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100308091122/http://en.tokipona.org/wiki/Etymology_of_Toki_Pona_words|archive-date=2010-03-08|website=tokipona.org}}</ref> derived from [[Tok Pisin]] {{lang|tpi|tok}}, which itself comes from English "talk"; and {{lang|mis|pona}} (good/simple), from [[Esperanto]] {{lang|eo|bona}} (good),<ref name=":21" /> from Latin {{lang|la|bonus}}.

== Purpose ==
Sonja Lang ({{née|Sonja Elen Kisa}}) started developing Toki Pona as a way of simplifying her thoughts during depression.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="latimes" />

One of the language's main goals is a focus on minimalism. It is designed to express maximal meaning with minimal complexity.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last=Rogers|first=Steven D.|title=A Dictionary of Made-Up Languages|publisher=Adams Media|year=2011|isbn=978-1440528170|location=United States of America|chapter=Part I: Made-Up Languages – Toki pona}}</ref> Like a pidgin, it focuses on simple concepts and elements that are universal among cultures. It has 120–125 root words, and 14 phonemes devised to be easy to pronounce for speakers of various language backgrounds.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" />

Inspired by Taoist philosophy, another goal of Toki Pona is to help its users focus on the essentials by reducing complex concepts into basic elements and remove complexity from the thought process.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite web|last=Tomaszewski|first=Zach|date=2012-12-11|title=A Formal Grammar for Toki Pona|url=http://www2.hawaii.edu/~chin/661F12/Projects/ztomaszewski.pdf|access-date=2019-09-21|website=University of Hawai‘i}}</ref> From these simple notions, more complex ideas can be created by simple combining.<ref name=":9" /> This allows the users to see the fundamental nature and effect of the ideas expressed.

Like the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which states that a language changes the way its speakers think and behave,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16" /> Toki Pona tries to induce positive thinking.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book|title=The Routledge Linguistics Encyclopedia|last=Malmkjær|first=Kirsten|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2010|isbn=9780415424325|edition=3rd|location=New York|pages=34|chapter=Artificial languages|oclc=656296619}}</ref>

Another aim of the language is for the users to become aware of the present moment and pay more attention to the surroundings and the words people use.<ref name=":8" /> According to its author, it is meant to be "fun and cute".<ref name=":19">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/inlandofinvented00okre|title=In the Land of Invented Languages|last=Okrent|first=Arika|publisher=Spiegel & Grau|year=2009|isbn=978-0-385-52788-0|location=New York|chapter=The Klingons, the Conlangers, and the Art of Language – 26. The Secret Vice|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Although it was not intended as an international auxiliary language,<ref name=":20" /> people from all around the world use it for communication.<ref name=":8" />

==History==
An early version of the language was published online in 2001 by Sonja Lang, and it quickly gained popularity.<ref name=":0" /> Early activity took place in a [[Yahoo! Groups|Yahoo! group]]. Members of the group discussed the language with one another in English, Toki Pona, and Esperanto, proposed changes, and talked about the resources on the ''tokipona.org'' site. At its peak member count, the group had a little over 500 members. Messages in the group were archived in the Toki Pona forum using [[phpBB]].[[File:Toki Pona The Language of Good.jpg|thumb|286x286px|Cover of ''Toki Pona: The Language of Good'' (2014)]]
Lang later released an official book on the language, ''Toki Pona: The Language of Good'', in 2014.<ref name=":14" /> It is also sometimes referred to as {{Lang|mis|pu}} in the Toki Pona community.<ref name=":1" /> In 2016, the book was also published in French.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Fabbri|first=Renato|date=July 2018|title=Basic concepts and tools for the Toki Pona minimal and constructed language|journal=ACM Transactions on Asian and Low-Resource Language Information Processing|arxiv=1712.09359}}</ref>

In 2008 an application for an [[ISO 639-3]] code was rejected, with a statement that the language was too young.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020|title=Change Request Documentation: 2007-011|url=https://iso639-3.sil.org/request/2007-011|access-date=2020-06-05|website=iso639-3.sil.org}}</ref> Another request was rejected in 2018 as the language "does not appear to be used in a variety of domains nor for communication within a community which includes all ages".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iso639-3.sil.org/request/2017-035|title=Change Request Documentation: 2017-035|website=SIL ISO 639-3|access-date=2019-01-10}}</ref>

Toki Pona was the subject of some scientific works,<ref name=":6" /> and it has also been used for artificial intelligence and software tools,<ref name=":4" /> as well as a therapeutic method for eliminating negative thinking by having patients keep track of their thoughts in the language.<ref name=":0" /> In 2010 it was chosen for the first version of the vocabulary for the [[Robot Interaction Language|ROILA]] project. The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of an artificial language on the accuracy of [[Speech recognition|machine speech recognition]], and it was revealed that the modified vocabulary of Toki Pona significantly outperformed English.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mubin|first1=Omar|last2=Bartneck|first2=Christoph|last3=Feijs|first3=Loe|date=2010|title=Towards the Design and Evaluation of ROILA: A Speech Recognition Friendly Artificial Language|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221418730|journal=Advances in Natural Language Processing|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|volume=LNCS 6233/2010|pages=250–256|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-14770-8_28|citeseerx=10.1.1.175.6679|isbn=978-3-642-14769-2|via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

==Phonology and phonotactics==

===Inventory===
Toki Pona has nine [[consonant]]s ({{IPA|/p, t, k, s, m, n, l, j, w/}}) and five [[vowel]]s ({{IPA|/a, e, i, o, u/}}),<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /> shown here with the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] symbols. Stress falls on the initial syllable of a word. There are no [[diphthong]]s, [[contrasting pair|contrasting]] [[vowel length]], [[consonant cluster]]s (except those starting with the [[nasal coda]]), or [[tone (linguistics)|tones]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Blahuš|first=Marek|date=November 2011|editor-last=Fiedler|editor-first=Sabine|title=Toki Pona: eine minimalistische Plansprache|trans-title=Toki Pona: A Minimalistic Planned Language|url=http://www.interlinguistik-gil.de/wb/media/beihefte/18/beiheft18.pdf#page=51|journal=Interlinguistische Informationen|language=de|location=Berlin|volume=18|pages=51–55|issn=1432-3567}}</ref> Both its sound inventory and [[phonotactics]] are compatible with the majority of human languages, and are therefore readily accessible.<ref name=":14" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Consonants
! !! [[labial consonant|Labial]]!![[coronal consonant|Coronal]]!![[dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
|- align="center"
![[nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|m}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|n}}</span>||
|- align="center"
![[stop consonant|Stop]]
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|p}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|t}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|k}}</span>
|- align="center"
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|  ||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|s}}</span>||
|- align="center"
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|w}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|l}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|j}}</span>
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Vowels
! !![[Front vowel|Front]]!![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|i}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|u}}</span>
|- align="center"
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|e̞|e}}</span>||<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|o̞|o}}</span>
|- align="center"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan="2" |<span style="font-size:125%;">{{IPA link|ä|a}}</span>
|}

===Distribution===
The statistical vowel spread is fairly typical when compared with other languages.<ref name=":6" /> Counting each root once, 32% of vowels are {{IPA|/a/}}, 25% are {{IPA|/i/}}, with {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} a bit over 15% each, and 10% are {{IPA|/u/}}.<ref name=":6" /> The usage frequency in a 10kB sample of texts was slightly more skewed: 34% {{IPA|/a/}}, 30% {{IPA|/i/}}, 15% each {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}, and 6% {{IPA|/u/}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/i/jimhenry1973/conlang/tokipona/tokipona.htm|title=Phoneme frequency table / Ofteco de fonemoj|website=lipu pi toki pona pi jan Jakopo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114085856/http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/i/jimhenry1973/conlang/tokipona/tokipona.htm|archive-date=2007-11-14}}</ref>

Of the syllable-initial consonants, {{IPA|/l/}} is the most common, at 20% total; {{IPA|/k, s, p/}} are over 10%, then the nasals {{IPA|/m, n/}} (not counting final N), with the least common, at little more than 5% each, being {{IPA|/t, w, j/}}. The high frequency of {{IPA|/l/}} and low frequency of {{IPA|/t/}} is somewhat unusual among the world's languages.<ref name=":6" />

===Syllable structure===
Syllables are of the form (C)V(N), i.e. optional consonant + vowel + optional final N, or V, CV, VN, CVN. The consonant is obligatory in syllables that are not word-initial.<ref name=":4" /> As in most languages, CV is the most common syllable type, at 75% (counting each root once). V and CVN syllables are each around 10%, while only 5 words have VN syllables (for 2% of syllables).<ref name=":6" />

Most roots (70%) are disyllabic; about 20% are monosyllables and 10% trisyllables. This is a common distribution, and similar to Polynesian.<ref name=":6" />

===Phonotactics===
The following sequences are not allowed: *{{IPA|/ji, wu, wo, ti/}}, nor may a syllable's final nasal occur before {{IPA|/m/}} or {{IPA|/n/}} in the same root.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" />

Proper nouns are usually converted into Toki Pona proper adjectives using a set of guidelines. The native, or even colloquial, pronunciation is used as the basis for the subsequent sound conversion. Thus, England or English become ''Inli'' and John becomes ''San''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lang|first=Sonja|editor-last=Knight|editor-first=Bryant|title=Phonetic conversion of proper names|url=http://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/tpize.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217125604/http://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/tpize.php|archive-date=2020-02-17|access-date=2019-01-15|website=lipu pi jan Pije}}</ref>

===Allophony===
The nasal at the end of a syllable can be pronounced as any nasal stop, though it is normally assimilated to the following consonant. That is, it typically occurs as an {{IPA|[n]}} before {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/s/}} or {{IPA|/l/}}, as an {{IPA|[m]}} before {{IPA|/m/}}, {{IPA|/p/}} or {{IPA|/w/}}, as an {{IPA|[ŋ]}} before {{IPA|/k/}}, and as an {{IPA|[ɲ]}} before {{IPA|/j/}}.<ref name=":6" />

Because of its small phoneme inventory, Toki Pona allows for quite a lot of allophonic variation. For example, {{IPA|/p t k/}} may be pronounced {{IPA|[b d ɡ]}} as well as {{IPA|[p t k]}}, {{IPA|/s/}} as {{IPA|[z]}} or {{IPA|[ʃ]}} as well as {{IPA|[s]}}, {{IPA|/l/}} as {{IPA|[ɾ]}} as well as {{IPA|[l]}}, and vowels may be either long or short.<ref name=":6" />

==Writing systems==
[[Image:Pronunciation Toki Pona.png|thumb|Alphabet chart|220x220px]]14 [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] letters, ''a e i j k l m n o p s t u w'', are used to write the language. They have the same values as in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]:<ref name=":6" /> ''j'' sounds like English ''y'' (as in [[German orthography|German]]) and the vowels are like those of [[Spanish phonology|Spanish]]. Capital initials are used to mark [[Proper noun|proper adjectives]], while Toki Pona roots are always written with lowercase letters, even when they start a sentence.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9" />

[[File:Toki Pona sitelen pona examples.png|thumb|Modified symbols in {{Lang|mis|sitelen pona}}]]
Besides the Latin alphabet, which is the most convenient and most used way of writing the language,<ref name=":6" /> two [[Logogram|logographic]] writing systems, {{Lang|mis|sitelen pona}} and {{Lang|mis|sitelen sitelen}}, were later introduced and included in ''Toki Pona: The Language of Good''. The former, in which each word is represented by a symbol, was devised as an alternative by Lang herself.<ref name=":2" /> It has been described as "a hieroglyphic-like script that makes use of squiggles and other childlike shapes"<ref name="Smith" /> {{See below|[[#sitelen pona|list of sitelen pona glyphs]]}}. Proper names are written inside a [[cartouche]]-like symbol using a series of symbols, where each symbol represents the first letter of its word. Symbols representing a single adjective may be written inside or above the symbol for the preceding word that they modify. The symbol of the language is written in {{Lang|mis|sitelen pona}},<ref name="Smith">{{cite news |title=Toki Pona – The language of good |url=https://www.pressreader.com/australia/smith-journal/20190603/282660393885733 |access-date=2019-10-20 |work=Smith Journal |date=2019-06-03 |location=Melbourne, Australia}}</ref> with the symbol for {{Lang|mis|pona}} written inside the symbol for {{Lang|mis|toki}}.
[[File:Sitelen suwi ale.png|alt=sitelen sitelen dictionary|thumb|The word symbols of {{Lang|mis|sitelen sitelen}}]]
The latter system, {{Lang|mis|sitelen sitelen}}, was created by Jonathan Gabel. It is more elaborate and visually resembles the [[Maya script|Mayan script]].<ref name=":1"/> This non-linear system uses two separate methods to form words: [[logogram]]s representing words and an [[alphasyllabary]] for writing the syllables (especially for proper names). The difficulty of using this system along with its appealing design is a way for people to slow down and explore how not only the language but also the method of communication can influence thinking.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jonathangabel.com/toki-pona/lesson-1/|title=Lesson 1: Welcome|last=Gabel|first=Jonathan|date=2019-10-20|website=Jonathan Gabel|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref>

Individuals from the community have also adapted many other scripts to write Toki Pona.<ref name=":6" />

==Grammar==
Toki Pona's word order is [[subject–verb–object]].<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=https://conlang.org/language-creation-conference/lcc6/lcc6-relay/3-toki-pona-text/|title=3. Toki Pona Text – Grammar and Vocabulary|website=Language Creation Society|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref> The word {{lang|mis|li}} introduces predicates, {{lang|mis|e}} introduces direct objects, prepositional phrases follow the objects, and {{lang|mis|la}} phrases come before the subject to add additional context.<ref name=":4" />

Some roots are grammatical particles, while others have [[Lexical semantics|lexical]] meanings. The lexical roots do not fall into well defined [[part of speech|parts of speech]]; rather, they may be used generally as nouns, verbs, modifiers, or interjections depending on context or their position in a phrase. For example, {{lang|mis|ona li moku}} may mean "they ate" or "it is food".<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":16" />

=== Sentence structures ===
A sentence may be an [[interjection]], statement, wish/command, or question.

For example, interjections such as {{lang|mis|a}}, {{lang|mis|ala}}, {{lang|mis|ike}}, {{lang|mis|jaki}}, {{lang|mis|mu}}, {{lang|mis|o}}, {{lang|mis|pakala}}, {{lang|mis|pona}}, {{lang|mis|toki}}, etc. can stand alone as a sentence.<ref name=":16" />

Statements follow the normal structure of ''subject-predicate'' with an optional {{lang|mis|la}} phrase at the beginning. The word {{lang|mis|li}} always precedes the predicate unless the subject is a {{lang|mis|mi}} or {{lang|mis|sina}}. The direct object marker {{lang|mis|e}} comes before direct objects. More {{lang|mis|li}} and {{lang|mis|e}} markers can present new predicates or direct objects. [[Vocative case|Vocative]] phrases come before the main sentence and are marked with {{lang|mis|o}} at the end of the phrase, after the addressee.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":4" />

In commands, the word {{lang|mis|o}} comes before a verb to express a second person command. It can also replace {{lang|mis|li}}, or come after the subjects {{lang|mis|mi}} or {{lang|mis|sina}}, to express wishes.

There are two ways to form [[Yes–no question|yes-no questions]] in Toki Pona. The first method is to use the "verb {{lang|mis|ala}} verb" construction in which {{lang|mis|ala}} comes in between a duplicated verb, auxiliary verb, or other [[Predicate (grammar)#Predicators|predicators]].<ref name=":16" /> Another way to form a yes-no question is to put {{lang|mis|anu seme?}} ({{lit|or what?}}) at the end of a sentence. Questions cannot be made by just putting a question mark at the end of a sentence.

[[Non-polar question]]s are formed by replacing the unknown information with the [[interrogative word]] {{lang|mis|seme}}.<ref name=":4" />

===Pronouns===
Toki Pona has basic pronouns: {{lang|mis|mi}} (first person), {{lang|mis|sina}} (second person), and {{lang|mis|ona}} (third person).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suburbandestiny.com/?p=239|title=Toki Pona: Pronouns unleashed|last=Martin|first=Matthew|date=2007-09-11|website=My Suburban Destiny|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref>

The pronouns do not specify number or gender. Therefore, {{lang|mis|ona}} can mean "he", "she", "it", or "they". In practice, Toki Pona speakers use the phrase {{lang|mis|mi mute}} to mean "we", though the number is often discernible from context and thus only {{lang|mis|mi}} is necessary. Likewise, {{lang|mis|ona mute}} may mean "they" and {{lang|mis|sina mute}} would mean "you" (plural).<ref name=":6" />

Whenever the subject of a sentence is either of the unmodified pronouns {{lang|mis|mi}} or {{lang|mis|sina}}, then {{lang|mis|li}} is not used to separate the subject and predicate.<ref name=":4" />

===Nouns===
With such a small root-word vocabulary, Toki Pona relies heavily on noun phrases, where a noun is modified by a following root, to make more complex meanings.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-conlang24aug24,0,4155484,full.story|title=In their own words – literally / Babel's modern architects|last=Dance|first=Amber|date=2007-08-24|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2007-08-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103134152/http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-conlang24aug24,0,4155484,full.story|archive-date=2013-01-03}}</ref> A typical example is combining {{lang|mis|jan}} (person) with {{lang|mis|utala}} (fight) to make {{lang|mis|jan utala}} (soldier, warrior). {{See below|{{section link||Modifiers}}}}

Nouns do not decline according to number. {{Lang|mis|jan}} can mean "person", "people", "humanity", or "somebody", depending on context.<ref name=":6" />

Toki Pona does not use isolated proper nouns; instead, they must modify a preceding noun. For this reason, they may be called "proper adjectives" or simply “proper words” instead of “proper nouns”. For example, names of people and places are used as modifiers of the common roots for "person" and "place", e.g. {{Lang|mis|ma Kanata}} ({{lit|Canada country}}) or {{Lang|mis|jan Lisa}} ({{lit|lk=no|Lisa person}}).<ref name=":6" />

===Modifiers===
[[Phrase]]s in Toki Pona are [[head-initial]]; modifiers always come after the word that they modify.<ref name=":16" /> Therefore, {{Lang|mis|soweli utala}}, {{lit|animal of fighting}}, is a "fighting animal", whereas {{Lang|mis|utala soweli}}, {{lit|lk=no|fighting of animal}}, means "animal war".<ref name=":6" />

When a second modifier is added to a phrase, for example {{Lang|mis|jan pona lukin}}, it modifies all that comes before it, so (({{Lang|mis|jan pona}}) {{Lang|mis|lukin}})  = "friend watching", rather than ({{Lang|mis|jan}} ({{Lang|mis|pona lukin}})), "person good-looking".<ref name=":6" />

The particle {{Lang|mis|pi}} is placed after the head and before the modifiers, to group the modifiers into another phrase that functions as a unit to modify the head, so {{Lang|mis|jan pi pona lukin}} = ({{Lang|mis|jan}} {{Lang|mis|pi}} ({{Lang|mis|pona lukin}})), "good-looking person". In this case, {{Lang|mis|lukin}} modifies {{Lang|mis|pona}} and {{Lang|mis|pona lukin}} as a whole modifies {{Lang|mis|jan}}.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" />

Demonstratives, numerals, and possessive pronouns come after the head like other modifiers.<ref name=":6" />

===Verbs===
Toki Pona does not inflect verbs according to person, tense, mood, or voice, as the language features no [[inflection]] whatsoever. Person is indicated by the subject of the verb; time is indicated through context or by a temporal adverb in the sentence.<ref name=":6" />

Prepositions are used in the predicate in place of a regular verb.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":12" />

==Vocabulary==
[[File:Toki pona sitelen pona.png|alt=Table, 10 items high my 12 items wide, containing hand drawn characters, each with a word using latin characters under it.|thumb|435x435px|{{Anchor|sitelen pona}}Toki Pona hieroglyphs from ''Toki Pona: The Language of Good'' by Sonja Lang]]
Toki Pona has around 123<ref name=":8" /> root words.<ref>Originally published 118 words in 2001, with several words added later.</ref> Each is [[Polysemy|polysemous]] and covers a range of similar concepts,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Синящик|first=Анна (Anna Sinyashchik)|date=2018-01-03|title=Коротко и ясно. Как искусственный язык учит фокусироваться на главном|trans-title=Briefly and Clearly. How an Artificial Language Teaches to Focus on What's Important|url=https://focus.ua/ukraine/388398/|journal=Фокус (Focus)|language=ru}}</ref> so {{Lang|mis|suli}} not only means "big" or "long", but also "important".<ref name=":6" /> Their use relies heavily on context. To express more complex thoughts, the roots can be combined. For example, {{Lang|mis|jan pona}} can mean "friend", although it translates to {{lit|good/friendly person}},<ref name="latimes" /> and {{Lang|mis|telo nasa}}, {{lit|lk=no|strange water|liquid of craziness}}, would be understood to mean "alcohol" or "alcoholic beverage" depending on the context. The verb "to teach" can be expressed by {{Lang|mis|pana e sona}}, {{lit|lk=no|give knowledge}}.<ref name=":6" /> Essentially identical concepts can be described by different words as the choice relies on the speaker's perception and experience.<ref name=":14" />
[[File:Color mixture.svg|alt=|left|thumb|167x167px|Many colors can be expressed by using [[subtractive colour]]s]]

===Colors===
Toki Pona has five root words for colors: {{Lang|mis|pimeja}} (black), {{Lang|mis|walo}} (white), {{Lang|mis|loje}} (red), {{Lang|mis|jelo}} (yellow), and {{Lang|mis|laso}} (blue and green).<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":6" /> Although the simplified conceptualization of colors tends to exclude a number of colors that are commonly expressed in Western languages, speakers sometimes may combine these five words to make more specific descriptions of certain colors. For instance, "purple" may be represented by combining {{Lang|mis|laso}} and {{Lang|mis|loje}}. The phrase {{Lang|mis|laso loje}} means "a reddish shade of blue" and {{Lang|mis|loje laso}} means "a bluish shade of red".<ref name=":6" />

===Numbers===
Toki Pona has root words for one ({{Lang|mis|wan}}), two ({{Lang|mis|tu}}), and many ({{Lang|mis|mute}}). In addition, {{Lang|mis|ala}} can mean "zero", although its meaning is {{lit|no|none}}, and {{Lang|mis|ale}} "all" can express an infinite or immense amount.

The simplest number system uses these five roots to express any amount necessary. For numbers larger than two, speakers would use {{Lang|mis|mute}} which means "many".<ref name=":1" />

A more complex system expresses larger numbers additively by using phrases such as {{Lang|mis|tu wan}} for three, {{Lang|mis|tu tu}} for four, and so on. This feature purposely makes it impractical to communicate large numbers.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Yerrick">{{cite web|last=Yerrick|first=Damian|date=2002-10-23|title=Toki Pona li pona ala pona? A review of Sonja Kisa's constructed language Toki Pona|url=http://www.pineight.com/tokipona/tpreview.html|access-date=2007-07-20|website=Pin Eight}}</ref>

An alternate system for larger numbers, described in Lang's book, uses {{Lang|mis|luka}} ({{lit|hand}}) to signify "five", {{Lang|mis|mute}} ({{lit|lk=no|many}}) to signify "twenty" and {{Lang|mis|ale}} ({{lit|lk=no|all}}) to signify "100". For example, using this structure {{Lang|mis|ale tu}} would mean "102" and {{Lang|mis|mute mute mute luka luka luka tu wan}} would signify "78".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tokipona.net/tp/Numbers.aspx|title=Numbers|website=tokipona.net|access-date=2019-01-26}}</ref>

===Roots history===
[[File:BodyTokiPona.jpg|thumb|right|Body parts in Toki Pona]]
Some words have obsolete [[synonym]]s. For example, {{Lang|mis|nena}} replaced {{Lang|mis|kapa}} (protuberance) early in the language's development for unknown reasons.<ref name=":18" /> Later, the pronoun {{Lang|mis|ona}} replaced {{Lang|mis|iki}} (he, she, it, they), which was sometimes confused with {{Lang|mis|ike}} (bad).<ref name="Yerrick" />

Similarly, {{Lang|mis|ali}} was added as an alternative to {{Lang|mis|ale}} (all) to avoid confusion with {{Lang|mis|ala}} (no, not) among people who [[vowel reduction|reduce]] unstressed vowels, though both forms are still used.

Originally, {{Lang|mis|oko}} meant "eye" and {{Lang|mis|lukin}} was used as a verb "see". In the book, the meanings were later merged into {{Lang|mis|lukin}}, {{Lang|mis|oko}} being the alternative''.''<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

Words that have been simply removed from the lexicon include {{Lang|mis|leko}} (block, stairs), {{Lang|mis|monsuta}} (monster, fear), {{Lang|mis|majuna}} (old), {{Lang|mis|kipisi}} (to cut), and {{Lang|mis|pata}} (sibling).<ref name=":18">{{Cite web|last=Knight|first=Bryant|date=2017-08-31|title=Extinct words|url=http://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/extinctwords.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217124810/http://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/extinctwords.php|archive-date=2020-02-17|access-date=2019-01-13|website=lipu pi jan Pije}}</ref> These words are now considered outdated because they were not included in the official book.<ref name=":18" />

Besides {{Lang|mis|nena}} and {{Lang|mis|ona}}, which replaced existing roots, a few roots were added to the original 118: {{Lang|mis|pan}} (grain, bread, pasta, rice), {{Lang|mis|esun}} (market, shop, trade), {{Lang|mis|alasa}} (hunt, gather), and {{Lang|mis|namako}} (extra, additional, spice), another word for {{Lang|mis|sin}} (new).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokipona.net/tp/ClassicWordList.aspx|title=Classic Word List (Improved!)|website=tokipona.net|access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref>

===Provenance===
[[File:Toki Pona etymologies.png|thumb|Origin of the Toki Pona roots by language. Obsolete roots are not included|333x333px]]

Most Toki Pona roots come from [[English language|English]], [[Tok Pisin]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Acadian French]], [[Esperanto]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], with a few from [[Chinese language|Chinese]] ([[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] and [[Cantonese]]).<ref name=":21" /><ref name=":9" />

Many of these derivations are transparent. For example, {{Lang|mis|toki}} (speech, language) is similar to [[Tok Pisin]] {{Lang|tpi|tok}} and its English source "talk", while {{Lang|mis|pona}} (good, positive), from Esperanto {{Lang|eo|bona}}, reflects generic [[Romance languages|Romance]] ''bon, buona'', English "bonus", etc. However, the changes in pronunciation required by the simple phonetic system often make the origins of other words more difficult to see. The word {{Lang|mis|lape}} (to sleep, to rest), for example, comes from [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{Lang|nl|slapen}} and is cognate with English "sleep"; {{Lang|mis|kepeken}} (to use) is somewhat distorted from Dutch {{Lang|nl|gebruiken}}, and {{Lang|mis|akesi}} from {{Lang|nl|hagedis}} (lizard) is scarcely recognizable. [Because ''*ti'' is an illegal syllable in Toki Pona, Dutch ''di'' becomes ''si.'']<ref name=":21" />

Although only 14 roots (12%) are listed as derived from English, a large number of the Tok Pisin, Esperanto, and other roots are transparently cognate with English, raising the English-friendly portion of the vocabulary to about 30%. The portions of the lexicon from other languages are 15% Tok Pisin, 14% Finnish, 14% Esperanto, 12% Croatian, 10% Acadian French, 9% Dutch, 8% Georgian, 5% Mandarin, 3% Cantonese; one root each from [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[Tongan language|Tongan]] (an English borrowing), [[Twi|Akan]], and an uncertain language (apparently [[Swahili language|Swahili]]); four [[sound symbolism|phonesthetic]] roots (two which are found in English, one from [[Japanese language|Japanese]], and one which was made up); and one other made-up root (the grammatical particle {{Lang|mis|e}}).<ref name=":21" />
[[File:Toki pona luka.png|alt=|thumb|220x220px|Hand shapes of Signed Toki Pona]]

===Signed Toki Pona===
Signed Toki Pona, or {{Lang|mis|toki pona luka}}, is a [[Manually coded language|manually coded form]] of Toki Pona. Each word and letter has its own sign, which is distinguished by the hand shape, location of the hand on the body, palm or finger orientation, and the usage of one or both hands. Most signs are performed with the right hand at the required location. A few signs, however, are performed with both hands in a symmetrical way.

To form a sentence, each of the signs is performed using the grammar and word order of Toki Pona.<ref name=":2" />

==Community==
The language is fairly known among Esperantists, who often offer courses and conversation groups at their meetings.<ref name=":6" /> In 2007, Lang reportedly said that at least 100 people speak Toki Pona fluently and estimated that a few hundred have a basic knowledge of the language.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Marsh">{{cite news|title=Now you're really speaking my language|last1=Marsh|first1=Stefanie|date=2007-09-06|work=[[The Times]]|location=London, England|page=2}}</ref> One-hour courses of Toki Pona were taught on various occasions by the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] during their [[Independent Activities Period]].<ref name=":0" />

The language is used mainly online on social media, in forums, and other groups.<ref name="Marsh"/> Users of the language are spread out across multiple platforms. A [[Yahoo! Groups|Yahoo! group]] existed from about 2002 to 2009, when it moved to a forum on a [[phpBB]] site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fakelinguist.wakayos.com/?p=861|title=Conlang SE|last=Martin|first=Matthew|date=2018-03-11|website=Fake languages by a fake linguist|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tokipona/|title=tokipona Toki Pona|date=2019-10-20|website=Yahoo! Groups|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430061813/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tokipona/|archive-date=2013-04-30|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref> For a short time there was a Wikipedia written in Toki Pona (called {{Lang|mis|lipu Wikipesija}}). It was closed in 2005<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|last=van Steenbergen|first=Jan|date=2018|title=A new era in the history of language invention.|work=Linguapax Review|url=https://www.linguapax.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Linguapax_Review_2018_revisio%CC%81MC-complet-1.pdf}}</ref> and moved to [[Wikia]].

Two large groups exist on [[Facebook]]—one designated for conversation in Toki Pona and English, and the other for conversation in only Toki Pona.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Knežević|first=Nenad|date=2018|title=Constructed languages in the whirlwind of the digital revolution|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328135114|journal=Језик, књижевност и технологија / Language, Literature and Technology: Proceedings from the Sixth International Conference at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, 19–20 May 2017|publisher=Алфа БК универзитет (Alfa BK univerzitet)|pages=16|isbn=978-86-6461-023-0|via=ResearchGate}}</ref> In 2019, the most subscribed group, in which members communicate in both English and Toki Pona, had over 4,000 total members.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Zorrilla|first=Natalia C.|date=2018|title=Still Hoping: The Relation of International Auxiliary Languages to Worldview and Perception|url=https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/sj24a/|journal=SocArXiv|doi=10.31235/osf.io/sj24a}}</ref><ref name=":5" />

Another influential group existing on [[Discord (software)|Discord]] is called {{Lang|mis|ma pona pi toki pona}}''.'' It has over 2000 members as of October 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Join the ma pona pi toki pona Discord Server!|url=https://discord.com/invite/Byqn5z9|access-date=2020-07-09|website=Discord}}</ref>

==Sample texts==
[[File:Sitelen sitelen contract.jpg|thumb|379x379px|A contract in the {{Lang|mis|sitelen sitelen}} writing system (2012)<ref>{{Cite web|title=lipu lawa pi esun kama|url=https://jonathangabel.com/2012/lipu-lawa-pi-esun-kama/|access-date=2020-08-09|website=jonathangabel.com}}</ref>|alt=Legal contract in the sitelen sitelen writing system]]

'''mama pi mi mute'''<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9" /> (The [[Lord's Prayer]], translated by Bryant J. Knight, 2005)
<blockquote lang="x-tokipona">
mama pi mi mute o, sina lon sewi kon.<br />
nimi sina li sewi.<br />
ma sina o kama.<br />
jan o pali e wile sina lon sewi kon en lon ma.<br />
o pana e moku pi tenpo suno ni tawa mi mute.<br />
o weka e pali ike mi. sama la mi weka e pali ike pi jan ante.<br />
o lawa ala e mi tawa ike.<br />
o lawa e mi tan ike.<br />
tenpo ali la sina jo e ma e wawa e pona.<br />
Amen.<br />
</blockquote>

'''jan Meli o'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ave Maria|url=https://www.jonathangabel.com/2020/ave-maria/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.jonathangabel.com}}</ref> ([[Hail Mary|Ave Maria]], translated by Tobias Merkle, 2020)
<blockquote lang="x-toki-pona">
jan Meli o,<br/>
kon sewi li suli insa sina.<br />
wan sewi li poka sina.<br />
lon meli la, wan sewi li pona e sina.<br />
kili pona pi insa sina li sewi Jesu.<br />
jan Meli sewi o!<br />
mama pi jan sewi o!<br />
tenpo ni la, tenpo pi moli mi mute la,<br />
o toki tawa wan sewi tan mi mute jan ike.<br />
awen.<br />
</blockquote>

'''Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights'''<ref name=":17">{{Cite web|title=Toki Pona|url=https://www.omniglot.com/conscripts/tokipona.htm|access-date=2019-01-13|website=Omniglot: the online encyclopedia of writing systems & languages}}</ref><blockquote>jan ali li kama lon nasin ni: ona li ken tawa li ken pali. jan ali li kama lon sama. jan ali li jo e ken pi pilin suli. jan ali li ken pali e wile pona ona. jan ali li jo e ken pi sona pona e ken pi pali pona. jan ali li wile pali nasin ni: ona li jan pona pi ante.</blockquote>

'''ma tomo Pape'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tokipl.wikidot.com/tptext:ma-tomo-pape|title=ma tomo Pape|website=suno pona|access-date=2019-01-12}}</ref> (The [[Tower of Babel]] story, translated by Bryant J. Knight, 2005)
<blockquote lang="x-tokipona">
jan ali li kepeken e toki sama.
jan li kama tan nasin pi kama suno li kama tawa ma Sinale li awen lon ni.
jan li toki e ni: "o kama! mi mute o pali e kiwen. o seli e ona".
jan mute li toki e ni: "o kama! mi mute o pali e tomo mute e tomo palisa suli. sewi pi tomo palisa li lon sewi kon. nimi pi mi mute o kama suli! mi wile ala e ni: mi mute li lon ma ante mute".
jan sewi Jawe li kama anpa li lukin e ma tomo e tomo palisa.
jan sewi Jawe li toki e ni: "jan li lon ma wan li kepeken e toki sama li pali e tomo palisa. tenpo ni la ona li ken pali e ijo ike mute. mi wile tawa anpa li wile pakala e toki pi jan mute ni. mi wile e ni: jan li sona ala e toki pi jan ante".
jan sewi Jawe li kama e ni: jan li lon ma mute li ken ala pali e tomo.
nimi pi ma tomo ni li Pape tan ni: jan sewi Jawe li pakala e toki pi jan ali. jan sewi Jawe li tawa e jan tawa ma mute tan ma tomo Pape.
</blockquote>{{col-begin}}
{{col-n}}

'''wan taso''' (2003)<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 April 2003|title=Dark Teenage Poetry|url=http://www.tokipona.org/lit-angst.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://archive.is/b9Sjt|archive-date=2 November 2019|website=tokipona.org}}</ref>
<blockquote lang="x-tokipona">
ijo li moku e mi.<br />
mi wile pakala.<br />
pimeja li tawa insa kon mi.<br />
jan ala li ken sona e pilin ike mi.<br />
toki musi o, sina jan pona mi wan taso.<br />
telo pimeja ni li telo loje mi, li ale mi.<br />
tenpo ale la pimeja li lon.<br />
</blockquote>

{{col-n}}

'''Alone''' (translation of wan taso)
<blockquote lang="en">
I am devoured.<br />
I must destroy.<br />
Darkness fills my soul.<br />
No one can understand my suffering.<br />
O poetry! My only friend.<br />
This ink is my blood, is my life.<br />
And Darkness shall reign forevermore.<br />
</blockquote>{{col-n}}{{col-end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Constructed languages}}
* [[Alphabet of human thought]]
* [[Constructed language]]
* [[Esperanto]]
* [[Hyponymy and hypernymy]]
* [[Philosophical language]]
* [[Pirahã language]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Literature==
{{refbegin|}}
*{{cite book|title=Toki Pona: The Language of Good|author-last=Lang|author-first=Sonja|publisher=Tawhid|year=2014|isbn=978-0978292300|pages=134|oclc=921253340}}
*{{Cite book|title=Toki Pona: la langue du bien|last=Lang|first=Sonja|publisher=Tawhid|year=2016|isbn=978-0978292355|language=fr}}
*{{Cite book|title=Toki pona en 76 ilustritaj lecionoj|last=Cárdenas|first=Eliazar Parra|publisher=Espero|year=2013|isbn=978-80-89366-20-0|location=Partizánske, Slovakia|pages=108|language=eo|translator-last=Blahuš|translator-first=Marek|trans-title=Toki Pona in 76 illustrated lessons}}        
*{{Cite book|title=Toki Pona Stories: akesi seli lili|year=2020|isbn=979-8637271252|trans-title=The Little Dragon}}{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|collapsible=true|s=no|v=no|n=no|commonscat=yes|q=Toki Pona proverbs|wikt=Appendix:Toki Pona|d=Q36846}}
*{{Official website|http://tokipona.org/}} – The creator's website.
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320191326/http://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/dictionary.php |date=March 20, 2020 |title=Toki Pona Dictionary }}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320191326/https://tokipona.net/tp/janpije/okamasona.php |date=March 20, 2020 |title=Bryant Knight (jan Pije)'s lessons }}
*[https://aiki.pbworks.com/f/tp+in+76+lessons+English.pdf toki pona in 76 Illustrated Lessons]
*[https://tokipona.fandom.com/wiki/Where_is_Toki_Pona_used%3F Where is Toki Pona used?] – A [[Wikia]] page with many links to Toki Pona related websites.

{{Constructed languages|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:2001 introductions]]
[[Category:Constructed languages]]
[[Category:Constructed languages introduced in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Analytic languages]]
[[Category:Engineered languages]]
[[Category:Artistic languages]]
[[Category:Isolating languages]]