Versions
There have been a few published versions of Toaq:
- Toaq (Dzu) Alpha, released in August 2013, documented here.
- Toaq Beta, released in September 2017 on “toaq.org”, documented here.
- Toaq Gamma, released in September 2021 on toaq.net, documented in the Gamma refgram.
- Toaq Delta, the current version, released 6 December 2022 on toaq.net, documented in the Delta refgram.
Beyond the grammar writeup, little is preserved of the alpha version. Toaq Beta was a complete reboot.
Between the Beta and Gamma versions, there were gradual official changes in the language as spoken on Discord and elsewhere.
Comparison of versions
Alpha (2013) | Beta (2017) | Gamma (2021) | Delta (2022) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Consonants | /m n ŋ p t k b d ɡ f s ʃ h v z ʒ r l w j/ (20) | /m n ŋ pʰ b tʰ d kʰ g t͡sʰ t͡ɕʰ d͡ʑ f s ɕ h ɾ l/ (18) | Beta + /ɲ d͡z ʔ/ (21) | Gamma + /w ~ j/ (22) |
Vowels | /a e i o u/ | /a e i o u/ | Beta + /ə/ | Gamma - /ə/ |
Phonotactics | There were glides (/gja/ "meet"), long vowels (/daː/ "woman"), consonant clusters (/sna/ "house"). |
At most CVVG. | Good old CVVG remains. Well, there's a glottal stop onset now, which is kinda like (C)V(V)(G). | (C)V(Q) or (C)F
C - onset consonant V - vowel F - falling diphthong Q - {/ŋ/, /m/} |
Tones | 8 + neutral: āáăảâàãạa[1] | 7 + neutral: | 6 + neutral: Tone is per-word, not per-syllable. |
4: (falling, rising, low glottal, rising-falling) |
“You are very beautiful” | Tōu dāe téq na. | Jảq dẻ súq da. | Jảq dẻ súq da. | Jaq de súq da. |
“The John who met you is my friend” | Pāı mí Djāq gyủ ca téq na góu na.[2] | Pảı mí Jảq gěq hóa súq na jí da. | Pảı mí Jảq gëq hóa súq cy jí da. | Paı mí Jaq ꝡë geq hóa súq jí da. |