Phonology
The phonology of Toki Pona is the set of phonemes (speech sounds) that speakers distinguish between. Phonotactics describe the ways phonemes can be arranged.
Consonants[edit | edit source]
There are nine consonant phonemes. Most of the consonants are intuitive to English speakers.
The j phoneme is pronounced like English Y, as it is in "fjord" and "hallelujah". This is also its value in languages like German (ja) and Swedish (hej då). The letter j was originally an i with a swash tail, and it is helpful to think of it as such in Toki Pona.
Labial[b] | Coronal[c] | Dorsal[d] | |
---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m |
n |
|
Stop | p |
t |
k |
Fricative | s |
||
Approximant | w |
l |
j |
Consonants are only distinguished by place and manner of articulation. Qualities like voicing and aspiration do not make a difference. For example, p t k can be pronounced as voiced [b d ɡ] if need be, so [doɡi bona] is a valid pronunciation of toki pona.[1]
Vowels[edit | edit source]
There are five vowel phonemes. Many natural languages, like Spanish and Japanese, have similar five-vowel systems.
Front | Back | |
---|---|---|
Close | i |
u |
Mid | e |
o |
Open | a |
According to Toki Pona: The Language of Good, the vowels are ideally more centered than their default values in the International Phonetic Alphabet. a is centralized to [ä],[e] and e o are lowered to mid [e̞ o̞].[f][2] Regardless, these are just the centers of these vowels' ranges. Vowel qualities that are close enough will be accepted.
Allophones[edit | edit source]
The tokiponization guidelines suggest some recognizable allophones:
- [v] becomes w, but its unvoiced equivalent [f] becomes p.
- Uvular and velar consonants are allophones of k.
- The rhotic consonants correspond to multiple Toki Pona phonemes. Tapped [ɾ] or trilled [r] becomes l. The English R sound, an often labialized approximant [ɹ⁽ʷ⁾], instead becomes w. As above, the French or German R becomes k.
- Dental fricatives can become t or s.
- Affricates are allophones of fricatives.
- Voiceless laterals become s.
Here is an attempt to chart this information:
Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | (Post)velar | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | |||
Plosive | p | t | k | ||
Trill, tap, or flap | l | ||||
Fricative or affricate | p · w | t~s | s | ||
Approximant | w | j | |||
Lateral | — | s · l |
See also[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (25 May 2014). Toki Pona: The Language of Good. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292300. OCLC 921253340. p. 16.
- ↑ pu, p. 15.
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