Toaq Delta

Toaq Sigma is the current version of Toaq, released on December 6, 2022. It is described in the Toaq Sigma Reference Grammar.

Changes from Gamma

Phonology

• New consonant /w~j/ written Ꝡꝡ.
• Vowel y /ə/ is gone. There are new diphthongs like /e.u/ or /i.ɛj/.
• Syllables can end in /m/ in addition to /ŋ/.
• There are 4 tones, down from 7.
• There is a new system of derivational prefixes.

Orthography

• Some typographic conventions are established: commas around clauses, ? at the end of a question.
• A new writing system, Derani.

Grammar

• Determiners take the rising tone .
  • ní is a determiner.
• The new glottal tone marks subordinating function words. Notably, it doesn't go on verbs.
  • New complementizers: old is replaced by ꝡä or é, and is replaced by ꝡë.
• Old tones and merged into the single adjunct tone .
  • We have Full Arguments and auto-terminating clauses.
• New pronouns.
  • róu, zé etc are gone: instead, attach hú- to any head to refer back to the phrase headed by it.
• Many uses of bı are replaced by the cleft verb nä. Only real topics use bï.
• Adjectives come after the "noun" now.
• Object incorporation is richer.
• Sentence prefixes (JE) are gone. Use connectives or interjections instead.
• Forethought connectives (TO) are gone.
• Connectives can be tone-conjugated to change how closely they bind.

Vocabulary

• chufaq → chum, naby → nam…
• hóı is now the vocative marker and hú the "aforementioned" determiner (they swapped places).