Phonotactics: Difference between revisions

[[Toki Pona]]'s '''{{wp|phonotactics}}''', or rules for putting sounds together, are well defined. Unlike its [[phonology]], knowing the phonotactics is not needed to speak the language orally. It is most useful for creating [[name]]s and ''{{tp|[[nimisin]]''}}.

# '''(C)V(''{{tp|n''}}) syllable structure''': "Each syllable consists of a consonant plus a vowel, plus an optional ''{{tp|n''}}."

#: As a corollary, every syllable after the first <em>does</em> need to begin with a consonant, thus is CV(''{{tp|n''}}). There are no adjacent vowels or {{wp|diphthong}}s. The sequence ''{{tp|ana''}} is syllabified as ''{{tp|a''&#x2027;''na''}} (2 morae), not ''{{tp|an''&#x2027;''a''}} (3 morae).

# '''No ''{{tp|*ti''}}''': "The syllables {{tp|[''*'']''ti''}} and {{tp|[''*'']''tin''}} become ''{{tp|si''}} and ''{{tp|sin''}}."

# '''No ''{{tp|*wo''}} or ''{{tp|*wu''}}''': "The consonant ''{{tp|w''}} cannot appear before ''{{tp|o''}} or ''{{tp|u''}}."

# '''No ''{{tp|*ji''}}''': "The consonant ''{{tp|j''}} cannot appear before ''{{tp|i''}}."

#: These two rules cover the same thing. ''{{tp|*wo''}}, ''{{tp|*wu''}}, and ''{{tp|*ji''}} are disallowed because the semivowel in the onset, /{{tp|w/}} or /{{tp|j/}}, can be hard to distinguish from the vowel. The syllables would sound too close to ''{{tp|o''}}, ''{{tp|u''}}, and ''{{tp|i''}}, respectively.

*: In sequences like ''{{tp|*anna''}} and ''{{tp|*anma''}}, the first syllable's coda ''{{tp|-n''}} would {{wp|Assimilation (phonology)|assimilate}} to the second syllable's onset nasal: respectively ''{{tp|ana''}} and ''{{tp|ama''}}.<ref>Assimilation of coda ''{{tp|-n''}} is also responsible for words like ''{{tp|anpa''}} sometimes being pronounced like {{IPA|[ampa]}}, and words like ''{{tp|enko''}} (an obscure ''{{tp|nimisin''}}) being pronounced like {{IPA|[eŋko]}}.<br />As a result, coda ''{{tp|-n''}} is sometimes defined as {{IPA|[m ~ n ~ ŋ]}}, unlike onset ''{{tp|n-''}} which is strictly {{IPA|[n]}}.</ref>

''{{tp|*ti''}} is disallowed because of {{wp|Palatalization (sound change)|palatalization}}, a common sound shift that has occurred in many languages. An English example is the suffix ''"-tion''", as in ''"motion''". The {{IPA|/ti/}} has been palatalized to {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, so it sounds like ''"-sion''" as in ''"mission''". For the same reason, ''{{tp|*ti''}} is changed to ''{{tp|si''}}.

Because {{IPA|/k/}} can also be palatalized<ref>This is why the letter C, originally {{IPA|/k/}}, now has soft and hard sounds.</ref>, many languages merge {{IPA|[ki ti si]}}. There are no ''{{tp|ki''&ndash;''si''}} minimal pairs in the 120 ''{{tp|[[nimi pu]]''}}, and among all [[ijo Linku#Word usage surveys|commonly used words]], only ''{{tp|kin''}} can be mistaken for ''{{tp|sin''}}.

==''{{tp|wuwojiti''}}==

!''{{tp|*wu''(''n'')}}

|''{{tp|u''(''n'')}} ^

|rowspan="2"|''{{tp|wa''(''n'')}}

!''{{tp|*wo''(''n'')}}

|''{{tp|o''(''n'')}} ^

!''{{tp|*ji''(''n'')}}

|''{{tp|i''(''n'')}} ^

|''{{tp|je''(''n'')}}

!''{{tp|*ti''(''n'')}}

|''{{tp|si''(''n'')}}

|''{{tp|te''(''n'')}}

'''''{{tp|wuwojiti''}}''' is a mnemonic for the disallowed syllables in [[Toki Pona]] phonotactics: ''{{tp|*wu''}}, ''{{tp|*wo''}}, ''{{tp|*ji''}}, ''{{tp|*ti''}}, and their equivalents with coda ''{{tp|-n''}}. Some less common ''{{tp|nimisin''}} flout this rule, often as a joke.