Absolutely a worthwhile experience to me. As for the countless people (victims) sat next to me at the pub who walked away that evening with the knowledge of 1/3 of toki pona's entire vocabulary forced upon them by me might differ in opinion.
imo it's always worth it to learn at least a little bit of any language simply because it's fun and interesting. it doesn't need to become a major hobby if you don't feel like it.
ive only just begun, but what's specifically cool about toki pona is how much you can do with even that little bit
Among the many other benefits listed in the replies, I like to keep my mind sharp and the translation challenges on Disko pi kama sona have wholly replaced any former addiction I might have had to Wordle.
btw if "disko" was an attempt at tokiponizing a proper noun, make sure to
1. add a "headnoun" describing what it is (discord is a tool, ilo)
2. actually fully tokiponise it. D isn't a letter and s can't be at the end of a syllable. "ilo Siko"
also your word order is a bit off
"kama sona pi ilo Siko"
100% worthwhile. toki pona has greatly increased my ability to learn languages and has taught me crucial skills i wouldnt understand without it. downside: i default to toki pona when i dont know a word in a language im learning
i would love to hear you substantiate your claim that toki pona is clunky. maybe it is for you or for learners, but it is not for the majority of proficient speakers.
A beginner might assume, “blood is telo sijelo loje (red body fluid)”. But that is only true in a vacuum, and communication happens in a context. Competent Toki Pona speakers assess how much info is needed and normally only need 1 or 2 words.
I do get that context is paramount...but that also somewhat my point. A quick example might be a person walks into a room and screams, another asks "What?!"...how many words does it take in such a context to express that the person has walked into a room covered in blood? Is "body fluid" enough?
nothing is a waste of time ever. wether or not it's worthwile is what you get out of it, and different people get different things out of it, so i think it just kinda depends on the person
Newbie here: I'll have to get back to you in a month or two.
Toki Pona's simplicity and glyphs appealed to me a lot, and I've wanted to dabble in language learning for years. I'm hoping to make use of it when possible.
mi ale li wile lukin e lipu sina la mi ale li pilin pona tawa toki pona anu seme a a a
taso toki pona li pona e mi tan ni: mi wile kama sona e toki lili la mi pilin sama ni: ken la mi o lili lon ijo ante. tenpo suno ale la mi kon taso lon tenpo suli. mi kon li kute e pilin pi sijelo mi.
ni li pona wawa e pilin mi e ken pi lawa mi. kin la ni li pona e toki pona mi anu seme a a a. lawa mi li kama mu ala la mi ken pilin e wile toki mi sama kon. mi ken pana taso e kon pilin ni tawa toki. taso toki inli la mi ken ala pana e pilin kon tawa toki mi! mi toki inli la mi o toki e nimi wan..
..tawa ijo wan. taso toki pona la pilin li kama lon lawa mi la mi ken nimi e ona lon tenpo ale. toki pona li pana e pilin lon lawa mi sama ala toki inli.
Only a week in but it strikes me that the design maximizes the value you can get out of small time investment which is great. It's already been worthwhile just by having a new perspective on what's possible.
Also a way to convince yourself you can still successfully learn languages, I hear some say
I think it's worthwhile. Learning another language is a great way to expand your mind, and Toki Pona's simple and fun nature makes the conlang an excellent choice. Plus the community is really kind.
I think it's worthwhile for me. For one thing, it really forces me to think through what I want to say very carefully, and to break down concepts before I try to express them. I think reading philosophy has had a somewhat similar result, except it's left me with more words rather than fewer lol
100% worth it. Makes my brain work hard. I love learning languages and this gives me a break while still exercising my head. Also, PLEASE MAKE A NEW BOOK. I have lipu pu, lipu ku, and lipu su, and I’m 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞
to me toki pona is great, ive learn many things thanks to it on linguistics, just to put an example, even if id forgot how toki pona works, my understanding of languages has grown permanently because of it.
Purely because of the wonderful people i've met in the community, it's been one of the most worthwhile experiences i've ever had
and even not considering the friends i've made, it's just such a fun and interesting language! not at all a waste of time (for me)!
To me, Toki Pona is a worthwhile experience because I'm having fun with it. If one would not find learning it fulfilling in any way, it is a waste of time for them. Time is precious, and there isn't anything objectively worth spending it on.
There are many things that could be considered a waste of time, but something that can be enjoyed with friends is not on the list for me. Toki Pona has introduced me to many people who I'm very lucky to have met.
it's a worthwhile experience i got to call someone i did not like a bitch once. the literal translation was, quite seriously "evil female animal" or something along the lines of that. 10/10 language experience
Comments
ive only just begun, but what's specifically cool about toki pona is how much you can do with even that little bit
1. add a "headnoun" describing what it is (discord is a tool, ilo)
2. actually fully tokiponise it. D isn't a letter and s can't be at the end of a syllable. "ilo Siko"
also your word order is a bit off
"kama sona pi ilo Siko"
I let myself get rusty. 😔
tenpo mute la, mi toki kepeken toki pona tawa mi. jan ante li sona ala e toki pona la ni li pona, taso mi olin e toki pona.
ijo li ante pona e toki lawa sina kepeken nasin lukin sin.
I had taken Spanish, and Japanese in high school, neither stuck because I never got any actual use out of them
If it weren't for toki pona, I would probably have remained monolingual! 🗣️
It is euphonic, but not something I've spent more than a few hours with.
And you know, when it's not your mother tongue, you'll be actually describing them anyway.
Not sure what this means.
what you are claiming makes toki pona an "experiment" is also a feature of many natural languages.
Again, I appreciate the idea of Toki Pona. In case that wasn't yet clear.
fluid!! red fluid is everywhere!!
when you say it in that panicked state no one will think that it is fruit juice that's everywhere. even if so,
"telo! telo loje sijelo li lon ale" or "telo loje pi sijelo jan" for human blood specifically
Toki Pona's simplicity and glyphs appealed to me a lot, and I've wanted to dabble in language learning for years. I'm hoping to make use of it when possible.
taso toki pona li pona e mi tan ni: mi wile kama sona e toki lili la mi pilin sama ni: ken la mi o lili lon ijo ante. tenpo suno ale la mi kon taso lon tenpo suli. mi kon li kute e pilin pi sijelo mi.
sina pona wawa tan pali toki.
Also a way to convince yourself you can still successfully learn languages, I hear some say
mi kama sona e toki pona la mi kama pona e sona toki mi.
mi pali e ijo pi toki pona la mi wawa e ken mi pi pali ilo.
It's worthwhile no matter what:
It remains a niche conlang: Yay! Secret language!
It becomes widespread: Yay! We can communicate with more people
added bonus: new ways to think abt stuff
and even not considering the friends i've made, it's just such a fun and interesting language! not at all a waste of time (for me)!
mi tawa sona tan musi, kin ni li pona :3