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
soweli - (I'm talking about) A cat.
or a verb
moku - Something is eating.
or you can combine them
soweli li moku. - 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:
- 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.
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.
jan Pape 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 ʉ̀𰀔
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. ɰɔ́-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)