Three-vowel system: Difference between revisions

|blurb=A '''[[Special:MyLanguage/Three-vowel system|three-vowel system]]''' has recurrently been proposed for [[Special:MyLanguage/Toki Pona|Toki Pona]] since the language's inception. Proposals generally keep the most extreme [[Special:MyLanguage/vowel|vowel]]s {{IPA|/a i u/}} to maximize the contrast between them. They may also give each vowel a different height, such as {{IPA|/a i o/}}.

[[File:Toki Pona vowel chart (three-vowel system).png|thumb|180x180px|Vowel chart for a three-vowel system merging {{IPA|[e]}} to {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|[o]}} to {{IPA|<translate>/u/}}</translate>]]

Proposals generally keep the most extreme [[Special:MyLanguage/vowel|vowel]]s {{IPA|/a i u/}} to maximize the contrast between them. For example, {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/selo|selo]]}} would be transcribed {{IPA|/ˈsilu/}}. These are also the main vowel qualities of the {{w|Arabic phonology|phonology of Arabic}} and some other natural languages, so in theory this system might make Toki Pona more accessible to their speakers.

Some [[Special:MyLanguage/tokiponido|tokiponido]]s, such as {{tt|[[Special:MyLanguage/tuki tiki|tuki tiki]]}}, use a three-vowel system.

On 8 July 2002, a [[Special:MyLanguage/Toki Pona Forums|Toki Pona Forums]] user named Viktoro proposed converting Toki Pona into a trivocalic language. Viktoro cited an extremal three-vowel contrast as an explanation for {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/iki|iki]]}} being confused with {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ike|ike]]}} and replaced with {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ona|ona]]}}. [[Special:MyLanguage/Sonja Lang|Sonja Lang]] replied that she had considered the idea before, but posed that:

*"[I]t would blur [[Special:MyLanguage/Names|proper nouns]] beyond recognition."

*Existing [[Special:MyLanguage/phonotactics|phonotactics]], such as the {{tp|*[[Special:MyLanguage/ti|ti]]}}-palatalization rule, could generate knock-on decisions: "would '{{tok|[[Special:MyLanguage/sitelen|sitelen]]}}' become '{{tok|sisilin}}' or '{{tok|sitalin}}'?"

Both {{IPA|/a i u/}} and {{IPA|/a i o/}} systems were explored, mainly considered as merging {{IPA|/e~i/}} and {{IPA|/o~u/}} into {{w|allophone}}s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=52|title=New lessons coming soon! / Trivocalic|author=Viktoro|username=vixcafe|date=2002-07-09|website=[[Special:MyLanguage/Toki Pona Forums|Toki Pona Forums]]|access-date=2023-11-19}}</ref>

Ultimately, neither of the systems discussed were implemented. However, the idea of merging {{IPA|/e~i/}} may have been leveraged in autumn 2002, when {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ale|ale]]}} was noted to be confused with {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ala|ala]]}} and received the alternative pronunciation {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ali|ali]]}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=85|title={{tok|ale}} => {{tok|ale}} or {{tok|ali}}|author=[[Special:MyLanguage/Lang, Sonja|Lang, Sonja]]|date=Oct 30, 2002|website=[[Special:MyLanguage/Toki Pona Forums|Toki Pona Forums]]|accessdate=2023-11-19}}</ref> It can be said that {{IPA|/e~i/}} allophony was applied to this one word.

In the [[Special:MyLanguage/nimi pu#Main words|set of 120 main words]] taught in {{pu|en}}, there are no [[Special:MyLanguage/minimal pair|minimal pair]]s between {{IPA|/e~i/}} or between {{IPA|/o~u/}}. For a time, this led the [[Special:MyLanguage/phonology|phonology]] to be described as practically a three-vowel system. However, {{ku|en}} validated the popularly used word {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/kin|kin]]}}, which would conflict with {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ken|ken]]}}, and introduced the word {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ku|ku]]}} which would conflict with {{tp|[[Special:MyLanguage/ko|ko]]}}.

* [[Special:MyLanguage/User:jan Pensa/tuki puna|{{tp|tuki puna}}]], a detailed proposal by {{tok|[[Special:MyLanguage/jan Pensa|jan Pensa]]}} (made in 2017, described and published in 2024)