Kót wàwa/Cheatsheet for tokiponists

kót wàwa for tokiponists

(a draft cheatsheet) dàn ján Dèsutu,
bèke https://jansa-tp.github.io/tpcheatsheet/Toki%20Pona%20Cheat%20Sheet%20v2.pdf

Alphabet

Like toki pona, kot wawa uses IPA, except it uses more letters. The first syllable of each word has a tone - à low, a mid or á high. A vowel at the end of a word is said long. Syllable stress doesn't matter.

Basic sentences

A sentence can be a subject

sówel - (I'm talking about) A cat.

or a verb

mòk - Something is eating.

or you can combine them

sówel li mòk. - A cat is eating.

mí and sína are used with li
sína li bòn - You're good.

Ambiguity

kot wawa's words are defined broadly like toki pona's, though it does make a couple of extra distinctions:

1. noun vs. verb vs. particle is marked by tone and voicing.

   mí li lùki-tás - I'm looking at the only one
   mí li lùki dàs - I'm just looking.
   

   mí li lùki tas - All I have to say is I'm looking.

2. and words spelt backwards reverse the direction of the action.

   mí li ìkul - I'm being looked at.

Direct objects

A direct object can be applied immediately

sówel li mòk-télo - The animal drinks the water.

or be introduced via e

sówel li mòk e télo - The animal drinks the water.

mí li dèlo-sówel - I wash the cat.
sína li lùs-nɒ́ - You make it big.

Modifying words

kot wawa lets you modify a word with a verb or a noun.

ján lìli - small human, child
tóm mí - house of me, my home

Noun modifiers are actually immediate objects.

lúki-mí - one who is looking at me.

Verbs modify the first word. Nouns modify the word just before them.

líp gàs ə̀n - two plant documents
póki-lás bìmei - a black box with something blue inside

pi can group either kind of modifier

líp-pi kás ə̀n - a document about two plants
póki pi làs bìmei - a dark blue box

Prepositions

Prepositions are verbal modifiers with immediate objects.

mí li mòk bèke-ílo - I eat with cutlery.
sówel li lòn-tóm - The animal is in the house.
nɒ́ li -ní dàu-sína.

Conjunctions

"and" works like in toki pona.

mí en sína li mùs mùt - You and I are playing often.
sówel nì li lìli li zùwi - This animal is small and cute.
nɒ́ li jò e wás e kál - She has a bird and a fish.

mí li bàl-tóm bèke-pális bèke-kíwe - I built the house using sticks and stones.

"or" is unu and applies to another word at the same phrase level.

ní li bòn unu ike? - Is this good or bad?
ésu li wàt e mí unu sína. - The shop is arrived at by me or you.

Loanwords

kót wàwa just requires that you specify what type a loanword is when you bring it into the conversation. It can be used directly after that.

má nì li ə̀meɻika. ə́meɻika li zùl. - This land is America. America is big.

You have to match it to kot wawa's phonology, which is a bit less strict than toki pona's. You also have to inflect it as noun or verb.

ján Zòɲa - Sonja
kót Dɔ̀c - (Deutsch) language, German

o and os

o is call someone.

ján Bàpe o! - O Pape!

os is tell them they should do something.
os gùt! - Listen!
os bàl - You should work.

It can also be used on subjects.

mí os bàl - I should be working.

and the two can be combined.

sówel Dɒ̀m o, os mòk. - Hey, Tom! Eat.

Interjections

toki pona has interjections. In kót wàwa, they are well-formed sentences.

bòn! - It's good! / Great! / Thanks!
wàwa a! - It's so powerful!
lòn! - It's here! / That's true.
mòk bòn! - The eating is good. / Bon apetit!

Preverbs

kot wawa has two preverbs: àn and ʉ̀ŋ

àn means to be the act of doing something.

mák-mí li àn zòn - Something I come to is knowledge.

ʉ̀ŋ means to not be the act of doing something.

mák-mí li ʉ̀ŋ zòn - Something I come to isn't knowledge.

In it's noun form, àn it can be used to make other verbs behave as preverbs.

án zòn - knowledge
mí li gàm-án zòn - I come to knowledge, I learn
wás lìli li wìl-án zùl - The small bird wants to be big.

Negation

There are two ways to negate a word: 1. invert its sounds

mí li ɰʉ̀cɔ - I'm not sleeping.
ján àle li gɛ̀t - No-one is talking.

2. use the word ɰɔ̀ (doesn't).

mí li ɰɔ̀-án làpe - I'm not sleeping.
ɰɒ́-án jàn li dòk - Something other than a person is talking.

Questions

Closed yes/no questions follow the X-not-X pattern but with a twist. You use the word you're questioning and then its negated form.

sína li mòk ɲæt? - Are you eating?

The tone on the second word is mid, to help it sound like a question.

Possible answers are

mòk - yes
ɲæ̀t - no.

Or you can prefix it with lì ɰɒ-án

sína li lì ɰɒ-án mòk? - Are you eating?

lì - yes
mòk - yes
ɰɒ̀ - no
ɰɒ̀-án mòk - no

Open-ended questions use "unu sem".

sína li mòk unu sem? - Are you eating?
kál unu sem li lòn-póki? - Are there fish in the box?

zèm/sém can make non-polar questions.

ján zèm li dòk? - Who's talking?
sína li bàl-sém? - What are you making?

Context

la works like in toki pona. The context can be either a noun or a sentence.

ílip-mí la ní li bòn - I feel this is good.
sína li lòn-pɔ́k-mí la mí li bìli bòn - I feel good when you're by my side.

Content words can be used with the mid tone to specify the nature of the relation.

tém nì nol mí li làpe - I'm sleeping now.

Numbers

Combining numbers results in multiplication. pi can be used to avoid confusion with toki pona.

Number names are based on Peg System by Harry Lorayne.

ə̀t - one
ə̀n - two
àkul - a handful
mùt - lots
àle - all of them

ə̀n ə̀n - two twice, four
ə̀n ə̀n ə̀n - eight
ə̀n pi ə̀n ə̀n - eight

Addition can be done via nìk-án.

kíl li ə̀n nìk-án ə̀t - There are 3 fruits.
mí li jò e kál pi ə̀n pi ə̀n nìk-án ə̀t. - I have 6 fish.

Some extra number names have been defined for the soft:

ə̀m - three
ùl - five
ɛ̀k - seven

ɛ̀k ɛ̀k nìk-án ə̀t - fifty

kot wawa doesn't have the word nanpa. It introduces a new word tó to mean the amount of something.

tó-án dùm nì li bòn-mí. - I like this number.
tó-kóm li nàsa. - This is a crazy amount of food.

Ordinals have to be constructed creatively.

ján lòn-án òpe li bòn. - The first person is good. (the person at the start)
nɒ́ li nàsi ip mìn-án ùl ə̀n ə̀n nìk-án ə̀n nìk-án ə̀t - That is 23rd Street. (the street named 23)