English
Toki Pona
Toki Pona comes from Toki Pona toki pona, from Tok Pisin tok ‘information’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Esperantomodernbona‘good’
- English1500–presenttalk
- Tok Pisinmoderntok‘information’
- Toki Ponamoderntoki ponaliterally ‘good language’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010Toki Pona
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Esperantomodernbona‘good’
- English1500–presenttalk
- Tok Pisinmoderntok‘information’
- Toki Ponamoderntoki ponaliterally ‘good language’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010Toki Pona
Earliest quotation: 2010, Arika Okrent, Questions Answered: Invented Languages: “While it’s true that these days your best hope…”
The story
From Toki Pona toki pona (literally “good language”), formed from toki (‘language’) (from Tok Pisin tok, from English talk) + pona (‘good’) (from Esperanto bona (‘good’), ultimately from Latin bonus).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, dynasty, tow, dun, dynamo, tine, dynastic, taw, beaucoup, beauteous, 91 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
beautiful, beauty, boo, rebellion, beau, rebellious, bello, rebelling, benefice, bauble, 36 more
through Archaic Latin duenos
ben, beneficial, rebel, beneficiary, revel, bene, bellicose, 37 more
through Latin bonus ‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
bonus, optimal, optimism, bonnie, boon, bona, bonny, bonbon, 14 more
Today it means
name A minimalist constructed language with creole-like elements designed by the Canadian Sonja Lang.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *dwenos / Toki Pona