How Much Can You Say With 137 Words?
Understanding the minimalistic nature of the Toki Pona language
Language is something that comes intuitively to us humans.
As Noam Chomsky’s theory suggests, we are born ready to learn and understand languages.
And while languages usually emerge naturally through people’s interactions in a particular community, some of them are created for specific purposes.
The most famous examples include Esperanto, created in 1887 by L. L. Zamenhof as a universal second language; Interlingua, developed in the 1950s as an international auxiliary language; and Klingon, invented for use in the Star Trek franchise.
In 2001, a unique and interesting addition to the world of constructed languages was created: Toki Pona, also known as “the Language of Good.”
Encouraging creativity through simplicity
Developed by Canadian linguist and translator Sonja Lang, Toki Pona is known for its very small vocabulary, simplicity, and ease of acquisition.
Lang’s goal in creating the language was to simplify thoughts and communication as well as promote positive thinking through its minimalism and focus on simple, near-universal concepts.
