Sandhi: Difference between revisions

The coda nasal ''{{tp|-n''}} at the end of a [[syllable]] can be pronounced as any nasal consonant, and often {{w|Assimilation (phonology)|assimilates}} to the same {{w|place of articulation}} as the following consonant. It is less common for this to happen between words than within a word, but it may still occur, especially in rapid speech. For example, {{tp|[[pilin]] [[pona]]}} would become {{IPA|[ˈpili<mark>m</mark>‿ˈpona]}}.

{{tok|jan Mato}} speculated that such athe glottal stop would develop betweenin all consecutiveinstances of vowelshiatus if Toki Pona were more widely spoken.<ref>{{cite web|url=//tokipona.net/tp/Sandhi.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Sandhi|author={{tok|jan Mato}}|username=|date=|website=tokipona.net|publisher=|archive-url=//web.archive.org/web/20130120091240/http://tokipona.net/tp/Sandhi.aspx|archive-date=Jan 20 2013|access-date=2024-03-12|quote=I suspect that if this were a spoken language, people would invent a glottal stop for the vowel/vowel sandhi and assimilate {{tok|nm}}/{{tok|nn}} into a single {{tok|m}} or {{tok|n}} sound.}}</ref>

Some speakers insert a {{w|semivowel}} glide at the end of vowels. In English, this occurs with the "long vowels" ay ee oh oo {{IPA|/ej ij ow uw/}}<ref>Dr Geoff{{cite Lindsey [@DrGeoffLindsey]. (22 October 2021).[//youtu.be/YouTube|id=gtnlGH055TA |title=Why these English phonetic symbols are all WRONG].|author={{w|Geoff YouTubeLindsey|Lindsey, Geoff}}|channel=Dr Geoff Lindsey|handle=DrGeoffLindsey|date=Oct 22, 2021|access-date=7 November 2023|quote=}}</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">{{IPA|[j]}} in the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}} represents {{w|Voiced palatal approximant|yod}}, as it does in Toki Pona.</ref> that are closest to Toki Pona {{tp|e i o u}}.

Some proficient speakers add glides intentionally in certain contexts, to split the hiatus in phrases like {{tp|wile e}} {{IPA|[ˈwile<mark>j</mark>‿e]}}. There is very little risk of confusion with {{tp|[[je]]}}, {{a category|je}} {{tp|[[nimi sin]]}}, and the [[syllable]]s {{tp|*ji *wo *wu}} are [[wuwojiti|disallowed]], so {{IPA|[σj‿i{{translucent|σ}}j‿i σw‿o{{translucent|σ}}w‿o σw‿u{{translucent|σ}}w‿u]}} will be understood as {{IPA|/{{translucent|σ}}.i {{translucent|σ}}.o {{translucent|σ}}.u/}} instead.<ref group="lower-alpha">Where {{IPA|{{translucent|σ}}}} represents any syllable</ref>