Taynmoga
Taynmoga is an a priori oligosynthetic auxlang. That means it’s a langage created for international communication, with a small vocabulary created completely from scratch that can be put together like building blocks.
Its sentences are as simple or complicated as the user wants them to be, and words can be compounded with essentially full freedom.
There are about 450 base words in 12 sections, sorted by their relations to other similar words. Every word is only one syllable long.
(It’s highly recommended you turn on Outline to jump to the section you want!)
Taynmoga uses 5 vowels and 14 consonants.
A E I O U
B D G H K L M N P S T W X Y
A E I O U - Pronounced as in IPA
B D G H L M N S - Pronounced as in IPA
P K T - Pronounced as in IPA, but preferred with aspiration
W - Pronounced as in IPA, but can be pronounced as unstressed U
X - Pronounced as /ʃ/ or /ʒ/
Y - Pronounced as /j/, but can be pronounced as unstressed I
Acceptable alternatives:
Vocab here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FhwtZUeY8CoFZBsEt2iOY7IFQhQzXeAYjur7TnNR4S8/edit
(Compound and loanwords planned when vocab is finalized!)
man! = Hello!
xa lan! = Good morning!
me i say e goy. = I like fish.
xwe amudwey i sa e pe? = What’s your job?
byalan ame i su e pu. = I’ll do this tomorrow.
As of the time of writing, there are currently no oligosynthetic auxlangs that can be considered even vaguely successful. While there are many reasons for this, my sole goal with Taynmoga was to circumvent all the inherent issues that come with a priori languages and oligosynthetic auxlangs.
I don’t think it’s perfect, but I do think it hits the “good enough” threshold I was aiming for (and based on my research, conlangs only need to hit a “good enough” threshold to be accepted by the community, rather than being perfect). My sole hope is that this language revives some interest in the idea of an a priori oligosynthetic language, and maybe even sets a new standard for how they can be designed.
During my research, I could not find a single a priori oligosynthetic auxlang that has both of these features, which I consider important for an auxlang:
And these features, which I don’t consider strictly necessary, but was shocked to see no language have all of these:
I understand why these issues have arisen – oligosynthetic languages naturally create issues of needing a lot of phonemes due to the smaller words, for example – but I did feel that a language using modern knowledge and influences should be able to circumvent all of these.
I’m not a linguist and didn’t have a ton of time to develop the language (the majority of it was created in about a week), so anyone is free to create suggestions and modifications to their liking. Unable to do much research on my own, a lot of the language weighs on the research and existence of other languages that have had more testing and scrutiny – mainly toki pona, Mini-Linga, and Globasa. Other languages that have had varying degrees of influence are English, Japanese, Esperanto, and Kah.
Taynmoga was NOT created to compete with any other language, constructed or natural, but is instead designed to be simple enough to coexist with the knowledge of other languages. I encourage others to explore uses for this sort of language.
Special thanks: SandwichDeer!
Taynmoga is written using the Latin alphabet, with no accent marks. Capitalization is fully optional, but these are the preferred rules:
Yup, that’s it for now
Every letter abides by the one-sound-one-letter principle, so there are no letters that change sound depending on placement (e.g. when paired with another letter). The only exception to this, N, is optional, and will be covered in detail.
Due to most sounds being generally distinct, there is some wiggle room allowed in how every letter is pronounced. As long as each letter is distinct and understandable, it is OK to use. Here is every letter with sample preferred pronunciations in order from most to least preferred:
(much of this chart was taken from Globasa)
letter | IPA | pronunciation | letter name |
a | /a/ | as in hat | An |
b | /b/ | as in boy | uBa |
d | /d/ | as in dip | uDa |
e | /e/ | as in let | En |
g | /g/ | as in good | uGa |
h | /x/ /h/ or /r/ | as ch in Bach | uHa |
i | /i/ | as in ski | In |
k | /kʰ/ | as in kite | uKe |
l | /l/ or /r/ | as in log | uLe |
m | /m/ | as in map | uMa |
n | /n/ | as in nine | uNe |
o | /o/ | as in | On |
p | /pʰ/ /p/ or /f/ | as in peace | uPe |
s | /s/ /θ/ or /z/ | as in sit | uSa |
t | /tʰ/ or /t/ | as in time | uTe |
u | /u/ | as in flu | Un |
w | /w/ or /u/ | as in win | uWa |
x | /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /t̠ʃ/ /d̠ʒ/ /dz/ or /z/ | as sh in shop | uYa |
y | /j/ or /i/ | as in yes | uXe |
Of course, try not to use alternatives from 2 different letters that sound the same (e.g. /r/ on both L and H). The exceptions to this are Y and W, which can be pronounced as /i/ and /u/ respectively, since their letter placement will never create ambiguity with the respective vowels. Ideally, every word in Taynmoga is pronounced as a single word.
Since words can end in -N, this can cause some unnatural clusters. These are all allowed alternatives when N is at the end of a syllable:
Tonic stress (spoken emphasis) should be put on the first syllable of every word, not including the single-letter vowel particles.
ma i bay po e binkin (they quickly eat apples)
= MA i BAY PO e BINkin = /’ma i ’baj ’po e ’binkin/
This includes the “u-” prefix, which is attached to words.
uPasuta (pasta) = uPAsuta = /u’pasuta/
All words should be tried to be pronounced as one syllable. While they are sorted by theme, this is solely for memorization purposes and should not be seen as any restriction as to how they can be used, with the exception of the single-letter vowel particles. For example, “pley” is in the Food/Objects section and means “soap,” but can also be used to mean “soapy,” which is an adjective and not an object.
Similarly, some words that are related were made to have related orthography, but this does not always mean that words with related orthography have related meanings. “pawn” means cushion because “bawn” means soft, and “poy” means bowl/cup because “ko” means liquid. However, that does not mean that “tyan” means 100 because “tya” means wave.
**This information is not important for learning the language, and is just here to explain decision-making.
All words are a single syllable, and can be:
(C)(L)V(W)(N) or (C)(L)V(Y)(N) or (C)(W)V(Y)(N)
Where C = consonant, V = vowel, and L/Y/N representing their respective letters.
Examples of valid syllables:
ba, de, pin, soyn, gwayn, klawn
(Single vowels are technically valid syllables, but are only used as particles)
My research has given me the impression that this should be sufficiently possible for most speakers, and difficult combinations have been attempted to be removed. For example, “puw” would sound too similar to “pu”, and “llan” would be hard to distinguish from “lan” for listeners without adding pronunciation rules that would be unfamiliar to many. So, syllables also cannot start with an N since it would be indistinguishable from syllables ending with an N.
There are also combinations that were technically OK, but I imagined would be awkward to pronounce as one syllable or in general for some speakers. See words like “pewn,” “dlay,” and “buyn.”
The large majority of words can be used as any part of speech depending on placement and use of particles/root words.
By default, nouns can be plural or singular, definite or indefinite, since Taynmoga does not have articles or a plural suffix. For example:
kan = (the) rock(s), a rock, some rocks
gyo = (the) bone(s), a bone, some bones
To specify this, you can use “ta,” “pi,” and/or “pu.”
ta kan = a rock
pu gyo = that bone
You can also specify plurality with “toy.”
ta toy kan = some rocks
pu toy gyo = those bones
“pa” and “xo” can convert words to nouns. Other words can do this too, but these are for the least ambiguous definitions, especially when the word has multiple definitions.
sonpa = use-thing = tool
bleynxon = sticky-concept = stickiness
Adjectives come before nouns. If a word is used before a noun, it’s generally considered an adjective.
bay dyo = speed car = fast car
If a word is used in a compound word and isn’t the base word, it’s considered an adjective by default.
dwinmi = kitchen-person = cook
baydyo = speed-car = racecar
To make this less ambiguous in speech, you can use “bi”/”xon” as a suffix to turn something into an adjective.
baybi dyo = speedy car
pawnxon gle = pillow-like touch
Adverbs are functionally the same as adjectives, and come before verbs/adjectives.
bay si = speed go = quickly go
tay bonbi = very blue-ish
In sentences, verbs can be easily identified with the verb “i” particle, but you can also use “sa”/”su” in other situations.
me i dwin = I kitchen = I cook
dwinsu = kitchen-do = to cook
By default, verbs can be any tense that’s implied, but are normally interpreted as being the simple present, infinitive, and present progressive tense.
i xyu = leave, to leave, to be leaving, etc.
byalan a me i xyu = Tomorrow, I am (going to be) leaving
Pronouns can be adapted by using the base pronouns (ma/me/mu) and compounding it with other words.
me = me / I
memye = me-self = myself
toyme = multiple-me = we/us
ma = they/them
toyma = them (plural)
mayma / meyma = him / her
toymu = you (plural)
toymumye = yourselves
Sentences are Subject-Verb-Object order. Verb phrases are marked with the “i” particle, and object phrases are marked with the “e” particle.
me i say e go = I like animals.
Subjects can be marked with the “a” particle, but this is only required when the subject isn’t at the beginning of the sentence.
xwe a mu i say e go? = Do you like animals?
e go i say a me = (It is) animals (that are) liked (by) me.
Verb phrases can be formed just by using verbs back to back.
ma i slo se su e pu = They must be able to do that.
WIP, refer to Globasa: https://xwexi.globasa.net/eng/gramati/jumlemonli-estrutur
Word order stays the same for questions. “xwe” is the question particle and is stated at the beginning of the sentence.
xwe a mu i xa xle? = question, you are good feeling = Are you feeling well?
When asking about something that isn’t a yes/no question, replace the thing you’re asking about with “pe.”
xwe a pu pa i sa e pe? = question, that thing is what = What is that thing?
“hun” is a word that translates to English’s “that” or “which.”
me isay epa hun isa exa = I like things that are good.
Compound words are constructed by having the base word at the beginning, and the describing words preceding it. Any word can be used at any part of a compound as long as it makes sense, except for the single-letter vowel particles. Generally,
IMPORTANT NOTE: Taynmoga is not designed to assign a single meaning to every compound word. Compound words are just meant to describe a concept, and if a specific meaning for a specific compound becomes popularized, that is OK as long as the meaning can be surmised from the word itself.
Example:
byenplakin = yellow-stick-fruit = banana
Compound words differ from using adjectives since they imply an innateness to the concept, while using adjectives just states that something happens to be a certain way.
soynpa = push-thing = button
soyn pa = push thing = something that was pushed
When deciding on the order of compound words, you can imagine it as each section being a larger and larger compound.
sweyndun = sleep + surface = bed
sweyndunmen = sleep-surface + cloth = blanket
sweyndunmenpleyn = sleep-surface-cloth + cover = bedsheet
If you want to reorder it, use the particle “hi” which separates the groups.
bendaynmi = adult-school + person = college + person = college student
benhidaynmi = adult + school-person = adult student
Numbers can be built onto each other using the base numbers.
1-5 = ta te ti to tu
6-10 = tan ten tin ton tun
11-15 = tunta tunte tunti tunto tuntu
16-20 = tuntan tunten tuntin tunton tetun
30 40 50 60 70 = titun totun tutun tantun tentun
hundred, thousand, million, billion = tyan tyen tyon tyun
809 = tintyanton
405,326 = totyantyentutyentityantetuntan
Tenses and moods are formed just by adding the related particles before the verb.
me i si = I go
me i le si = I (past) go = I went
me i lu si = I (future) go = I will go
me i hayn si = I would go
hay si = Go!
Past/future tense is not required if it’s implied by the sentence.
byalan a me i si. = I (will) go tomorrow.
“xe” is the inversion prefix, which inverts the meaning of a word. This is very important for referring to concepts not directly in the vocabulary
xeklu = (not)-far = close/near
Note that this is NOT the same as negating the meaning of a word, which can be done with “twe”, which means zero.
xekon = (not)-wet = dry
twekon = zero-wet = not dry
“xe” only applies to the word it directly precedes.
xebyobyo = (not)-problem-problem = easy problem
“hoy” and “hoyn” form comparatives and superlatives.
hoyxa = more-good = better
hoynxa = most-good = best
These are the single-letter vowel particles. “a” marks the subject of the sentence, “e” marks the object/predicate adjective of the sentence, “i” marks the verb of the sentence, “o” marks the indirect object of the sentence, and “u-” marks loanwords.
For “correct” Taynmoga, these are mandatory in certain situations:
Example:
xwe a mu i san e pu pa o uMeli = Did you give that thing to Mary?
In written form, u- is always attached to the word as a prefix, while a/e/i/o can optionally be attached, as long as a word only has 1 vowel prefix. This does not change how the sentence is pronounced, and is only for preference.
taynla ame isay e uHanbaga = I always like burgers.
Honestly I have no idea how prepositions work and I’m too afraid to ask. “hey” is the current catch-all preposition like “fe” in Globasa.
hey tun lon a me i le dwey e hey pi = For 10 hours I’ve been working on this.
For things like physical locations, it’s best to use the most literal word for the situation.
I’m at home. = meka i sa e meda hon klo [My place is my house’s inside]
Since Taynmoga has an internal logic to the way words are constructed, loanwords inherently can’t follow this and are not considered officially part of the vocabulary. There are also a massive number of technical terms and more that can’t be handled by the language’s system.
Loanwards are handled similar to toki pona’s tokiponization concept: names and technical terms can be used in the language, but aren’t considered part of the vocabulary.
Loanwords have a “u-” prefix for the whole phrase, and are preferred to be modified to fit the language’s phonology/phonotactics with the closest sounds. It’s preferred to capitalize the letter immediately after the loanword “u-” prefix to signal it as a name.
Example:
uPasuta = pasta
Taynmoga’s tonic stress rules do not have to be followed for loanwords, but the “u-” prefix should never be stressed.
Loanwords should generally be saved for proper nouns (e.g. place and people’s names), but can also be used to refer to specific concepts when specificity is needed. However, it’s preferred that speakers of Taynmoga try to stick to vocabulary from the language when they can.
When creating a loanword for Taynmoga, try to follow these rules of thumb:
Of course, if there’s already an official loanword in the dictionary, try to use that.
When translating sounds to Taynmoga:
Examples:
Radio = uLadyo
TV = uTibi
Tea = uXay
Ohio = uHohayho
Jiminy Cricket -> uXimimi Xwanglaw (music-bug)
Fire Emblem -> uPayha Henbulen