Credit

This is an adaptation of this Lojban guide by ldlework.

Introduction

This is a distilled overview of the Toaq language.

Major concepts of the language are introduced by saying as much with as little as possible.

That is to say:

For each concept the most crucial aspects are presented. However, some details may be glossed over or simplified. Some details are only mentioned or explained by their mere appearance in example sentences. Look carefully!

Finally, some aspects of Toaq are omitted entirely!

However incomplete - the goal of the following is to present, in the most immediate and expedient manner possible, a conceptualization of the language. This text aims to reveal that Toaq is both rational (it makes sense) and regular (it always works the same).

From this rationality and regularity comes a simplicity that makes Toaq easier to learn than anyone really ever expects it to be at first.

Tip:

By the way, there are going to be a lot of such "cards" in this guide. In fact, that's why it's called Káta "card(s)". Each new concept is conveyed using only as much information as could fit on a small note card. You will be getting to know Toaq "card by card", as you will.

It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the pro-nunciation of the letters before trying to read the examples in this guide in order to avoid creating incorrect associations between the letters and the sounds.

Click here for an interactive keyboard of Toaq letters and sounds.

If, at any point, you need to look something up, here are two dictionaries:

✔ Official dictionary
✔ Community dictionary with search function

Once you are ready, proceed.

Chapter 1

Parts of Language

In Language there are three major parts:

Types of Words

Toaq only has two kinds of words:

What about Nouns?

What about Nouns?

Standard Form

Every sentence follows the form:

da marks the end of a sentence. The verb comes first in a sentence, then follow the nouns.

Verbs Say What Nouns Do

Verbs tell us what the nouns do:

To use a word as a verb in a sentence, it must carry the tone :

     maı: ___ loves ___
    ┌─┴─┐
   maı    
   ───┬───       
     verb       
      ▼         
     mảı

 mảı  
  │    [lover] [loved]
  ├───────┼───────┤
 verb    1st     2nd
        noun    noun

Simple Pronouns

Here are two simple pronouns:

Verbs and Nouns

Nouns can be put in the places and the verb says what they do:

 mảı     jí      súq
  │    [lover] [loved]
  ├───────┼───────┤
 verb    1st     2nd
        noun    noun

Rearranging Nouns

Putting the nouns into different places changes what they do:

 mảı     súq     jí
  │    [lover] [loved]
  ├───────┼───────┤
 verb    1st     2nd
         noun    noun

Converting Verbs to Nouns

The tone converts verbs to nouns from the first noun slot:

     nuo: ___ sleeps
      ▼
    verb
    ┌─┴─┐
   nuo   <==  nuo  [sleeper]  
   ───┬───       ├───────┤
     noun       verb    1st
      ▼                 noun
     núo

núo creates a noun description which refers to a "sleeper". A natural-sounding English translation would be "the one who sleeps".

 mảı     jí      núo
  │    [lover] [loved]
  ├───────┼───────┤
 verb    1st     2nd
         noun    noun

Complex Sentences

Using multiple verbs, complex sentences can be formed:

 pỉe       póq       náo
  │     [drinker] [beverage]
  ├─────────┼─────────┤
 verb      1st       2nd
           noun      noun

The Drama of Language

The previous example can be thought of as a kind of stage-play, directed by the Verb and starring the Nouns.

The Verb Director tells us what Roles are available and What Happens:

 SCRIPT:
  1. A Drinker drinks!
  2. A Beverage is imbibed!

CAST:

 The lead Drinker: póq 
 (the first slot of poq - "the person")
 
 The supporting Beverage: náo 
 (the first slot of nao - "the water")

STAGE:

  pỉe       póq       náo      <== actors
   │     [drinker] [beverage]  <== roles
   ├─────────┼─────────┤
director   role 1    role 2

Chapter 2

Multiple Sentences

Let's recall the general pattern of sentences:

So far, we have omitted the final da from our examples. The purpose of this da is twofold. Its main purpose is this:

Additionally, da serves as a sentence boundary. When you see da, you can be certain that the sentence is over and that any following words belong to the next sentence.

Thus, text follows this form:

For example:

Serial Verbs

Individual verbs can be chained together to form so-called serial verbs as a means to create more interesting and more expressive verbs.

Here are two example verbs, which we will use for our very first serial verb:

By chaining these verbs, we get:

For example:

Let's make another serial verb with these verbs:

Serial verbs are a powerful tool. They can contain an arbitrary number of verbs, though we won't get into that much detail yet.

Also note that serial verbs are verbs and therefore can be turned into nouns. To do so, only the first verb gets the tone, the remaining verbs retain their tone.

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are created by using the particle mı in front of a name (the name can carry any tone, though usually it will carry a tone).

Since the result is a verb, we get a place structure and we have to use the appropriate tone on mı depending on the function we want it to fulfill.

To use this as the verb of a sentence, we use the tone, as usual:

To use this as a noun, we use the tone:

Greetings

Greeting another person is done with the verb hıo and the particle ka.

The particle ka is actually in the same class as the familiar da. ka also marks the end of a sentence, but instead of marking the sentence as an assertion, it marks it as a so-called performative. A sentence with ka is true by virtue of being uttered. Think of a marriage officiant saying the words "I now pronounce you husband and wife". The officiant is not merely asserting that they are pronouncing it. Instead, the very act of saying the sentence is itself what fulfills the ceremony. A good way to translate ka is "hereby".

Combining the two, we arrive at the Toaq greeting:

The greeting is often shortened to a mere Hỉo ka, "I hereby greet", which is just as understandable.

Addressing Someone

If multiple listeners are paying attention, you can address them individually with the particle hu.

Yes-No Questions

Yes-No questions can be asked by using the particles mả and moq.

The particle moq is in the same class of words as da and ka. It marks a sentence as being a question and is always used when a sentence is a question, no matter the type, be it a yes-no question or a wh-question.

The particle mả is placed at the beginning of a sentence and indicates a yes-no question. It can be translated as "whether".

Yes-No Answers

"Yes" and "No" answers can be supplied with the following replies:

Wh-Questions

Who, what, where, when, why? These are wh-questions. In Toaq, these are all based on "which". "who" is "which person", "where" is "at which place", "when" is "at which time", "why" is "for which reason".

"What" asks what goes in a given noun slot. This is done using the expression hı rảı, literally "which thing", which can be shortened to hı alone.

To answer such a question, simply state what fills the missing place:

Or restate the question with the asked-about place(s) filled in:

Commands

To make a command, replace da with ba.

Commands with ba are not impolite. They are completely neutral on the politeness scale.

ba is very flexible and not at all limited to requesting things from other people:

Sentence Starters

In addition to words like da, which have among their functions the marking of the right boundary of a sentence, there are also words that mark the left boundary of a sentence, the so-called sentence starters. They are useful for structuring text. The most important member is keo "but".

Chapter 3

Saying "and" and "or"

To make statements about different nouns at the same time the conjunction particle ru can be used:

Similarly, ra can be used for "or":

Me and you together

To group multiple nouns together to say that they do something together, roı can be used:

Association

To express association to a noun the particle po is used:

To use a po-verb in a sentence, the po has to carry the appropriate tone.

po has a terminator, ga, which must be used sometimes to prevent accidental serial verbs:

There are lexicalized compound forms of po + PERSONAL PRONOUN, which don't require a terminator and are simpler grammatically:

Saying "some"

So far, the nouns we have made have all been definite ("the person", "the apple"). This is the default behaviour when using the tone.

To say that "some" person, "some" apple, did something, the particle sa is used instead:

Specifying how many

To specify how many of something there are, number verbs are used:

Asking how much

To ask how much something is the case, the particle tỉo is used.

Saying "nothing"

To say that nothing, or "no X", fits a given noun slot, the quantifier sıa is used:

Chapter 4

Adverbs and the tone

Pattern: VERB + = ADVERB

Negation

negation

affirmation

Expressing Tense

There are three tenses: present tense, past tense, and future tense. All of them are verbs:

Like negation, there are three main ways tenses can be expressed:

Tense pattern 1: [TENSE + ] + VERB

Tense pattern 2: VERB + [TENSE + ]

Examples!

Temporal Distance

In addition to direction, temporal distance can also be provided by adding -juı for a short distance and -jao for a long distance:

Aspect

za      ╠═══════════════════════╣    luı
       ceo                    shaı
                 chufaq

still = hoaı
already  = haı
currently  = chufaq
starting to = ceo
stopping = shaı
resuming = rıu
has taken place = luı
is about to take place = za

gnomic aspect =

Chapter 5

Facts, Situations and the tone

Properties

Relative Clauses

Incidental Clauses

Chapter 6

Prepositions and the tone

Indirect Questions

Direct Quotes

Toaq uses spoken quote marks: the particles mó and teo:

To quote any single word, the particle shú is used.

The End

Congratulations, you have reached the end of this guide!

If you are feeling curious and want to learn more, check out the main documentation on toaq.net for a more in-depth look into the language.

You are also invited to hop on the Toaq Discord server and chat with other learners.

Thank you for reading!