Questions and Answers

1.) Are 30 words not enough? You can't make a language out of 30 words!
All right, all right, calm down. First off, I've basically answered the second part of the question by creating this website. 

Many would argue that ta lo ne is simply too imprecise, and everyone is entitled to an opinion. While I understand their viewpoint, note that ta lo ne does not attempt:

• to replace modern languages for detailed science, tech, etc. vocabulary
• to stupidify or dull down the human thought process
• to copy other languages like toki pona
• to be able to express specific terms such as animal species, foods, etc.

It is only made as a fun and simple language project that people can use as they please. And think, isn't it amazing how much you can express with a couple words, even in English? For example, instead of saying "would it be possible that you come over here now, please?", you could just say "come", or even just beckon with your fingers. What I'm trying to get across is that language does not have to be as daunting as many think.

2.) How did you decide the meanings and words?

This one actually has a lot of thought behind it. First, for the meanings, I was inspired by some of the people on the list on the About page, but also used some of my own perceptions and ideas on human thought. What really spurred me is when I heard in a video that somebody had made a challenge to see if a language could be created using just 20 words. I started to look at those of toki pona and bon wen, and came up with my own set of 15, to which I created 15 more, being more or less the words' opposites. Everything is really all about yin and yang, kind of like the relationship between good and bad, etc.

For the words, I wanted to make them:

• simple, and hopefully mono- or di-syllabic (one or two syllables)
• easy to pronounce for virtually everyone in the world, speaking any language
• full of meaning in terms of the consonants and vowels used

I chose the words after I had delineated the meanings. So, I had 30 words, and then picked the 5 main vowels (a, i, e, o, u) and 6 basic, widely-found consonants (m, p, t, n, l, k). The words of ta lo ne are divided into vowel categories. Now this gets kind of strange but does have depth; stay with me here:

• a = when you say "aahhh" it is a very relaxed, content and natural sound. So, the six "-a" words would be of the meanings that are generally existential and plain.
• i = when you say "iiihhh!" it is kind of stressed, surprised, or almost afraid. So, the six "-i" words would be of the meanings that are somewhat negatively dynamic.
• e = when you say "ehhh?" it is somewhat inquisitive and confused. So, the six "-e" words would be of the meanings that involve not knowing, being in the "before" state, etc.
• o = when you say "ohhh..." it is at the lightbulb moment when you are finding something out or becoming aware of an idea. So, the six "-o" words would be of the meanings that involve finding out, changing, becoming new, and the like.
• u = when you say "uuu" it is out of admiration, liking, wise calmness, or high energy, and is very laid back (but not in the sense of "a"). So, the six "-u" words would be of the meanings that involve the said emotions of excitement or admiration.

Sounds kind of weird? I know. But in a way it's a creative and natural way of dividing words into the six basic elements of human emotion: "it's good", "it's not good", "I know about it", "I'm finding something new", and "I know about it and it's cool". 

Now with the consonants, the choosing was more arbitrary but I went from how close the sound is to the leaving the mouth, if that makes sense. "m" is labial and the "closest" outward sound, then "p", then "t" is with the teeth, and inside the mouth, "n" is a nasal-like "t", then "l" is with the tongue, even further in, and finally "k" is in the throat. Get my logic? 

So, that's the story of the creation of ta lo ne's words. Let me know what you think here :)

3.) But I can't say "______" in ta lo ne.

I know it may be hard at first to strip down to the basics and express something in ta lo ne. Of course, this language cannot express everything and is still in the construction phases (as it was just created the same day as this website). Be creative and send me an email of your ideas.

4.) I found a typo on the site!

Please let me know; I want the site to be as consistent and nice as possible. It's not a bother at all.

5.) I like ta lo ne!

Thanks! Cool! Drop us a hello in the "say hi" page.

6.) What does the message on the homepage mean?

This is just a small welcome that I made up. It says:
mo mu. ta lo ne pu te. Welcome. ta lo ne loves you. (literally: 'receive/come' 'good'. /ta lo ne/ 'love/affection' 'other'.)

7.) What even are conlangs? Where can I found out more?

Wikipedia is a good start. Here's the article on conlangs. Here's another site and another one here.