Tokana
Facts
- Language: Tokana
- Created:
- Alternate names:
- Language code:
- Language family: personal language
- Script:
A constructed language by Matt Pearson.
Designed by a syntactician, interested in exploring and creatively expressing various ideas about morphology and sentence structure. Has an elaborate and detailed syntax, with complex rules of word order and morphology, but a relatively simple phonology and a small (and constantly changing) vocabulary. Approximately 1000 words of stable vocabulary.
Language sources: Tokana is entirely a priori, but it borrows ideas from many existing languages, including Cree, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Lakhota, Malagasy, Warlpiri, and others.
Designed as a facsimile of a natural human language, typologically plausible and respecting what we (think we) know concerning principles of Universal Grammar. As a consequence, Tokana includes many irregularities and idiosyncrasies, both in its vocabulary and syntax.
Included in The Traveller's Phrasebook: 1. Hello Nala! 2. How are you? (or similar greeting question) Ni hulia? (Are you well?) Ni eta elia? (Do you go gracefully?) 3. My name is... Me taksa ia... 4. What is your name? Ke miomi'n he taksa? 6. Where am I? Melh ni ami? 7. Where is... Melh ni... a. the bathroom (WC/toilet/human waste collection center)? Melh ni te nankotu? 8. I'm sorry. Slune lhisame! (Please forgive me!) 9. Please Slune... 10. Thank you! Niokteh telanku! (May your [sg.] kindness return to you) Niokteh telankyini! (May your [pl.] kindness return to you) 11. Help! Mela! 12. I don't speak [language X] very well. Ma tuiaku ietiehu ulumotihi sule X. (e.g. Ma tuiaku ! ietiehu ulumotihi sule Tokana.) 13. I don't understand. Imai muthoti. 14. Speak more slowly please. Slune anuysehta itsa. 15. It was my wife's/husband's idea to come here for vacation! Ani sokoinmi nieh otupa lhianmokim punimo atumo!" 16. Could you recommend... Ni tule koipa... b. something good to eat? Ni tule koipa mah ian iasi? d. a good doctor? Ni tule koipa mioh nioktieliaka ie tieheh? 17. That was a lovely meal. What was it? Te sati paienun. Mah'n ahi? 25. Thank you for your hospitality. We enjoyed our visit very much, but now we must be going home because we have many important things to do there. Niokteh telankyini ku southime! Ikime teusu henke taha, le kas nioktulhka moke, talhkoh lhonam ialam ante suklut aulini ikimna.