toki pona

These lessons will teach you a hieroglyphic script which you can use to write sentences out as pictures. In order to do this, you will be using the language toki pona which is the invention of Sonja Elen Kisa. toki pona lends itself quite well to a hieroglyphic script because of its minimal vocabulary and its emphasis on simplicity. For more information on toki pona please visit the official web site. I won't be describing how to read or speak the language itself in these lessons, but I have followed jan Pije's online lessons as close as possible so that each chapter corresponds in grammar and vocabulary. In many cases I have used his sentence examples as well.

slowing down

In a world of rapid and electronically-aided language, what you are about to learn contradicts common sense. This is not an efficient way to communicate, and it is quite impractical on a computer. (In fact, if this would interest you more, there is a very practical linear hieroglyphic script using toki pona and Unicode by Henrik Theiling.)

Instead this is a way to slow down and play with your thoughts. It is a tool to help connect your mind back to your hand. Just as toki pona examines how the language you use to communicate can influence your thoughts, this script will let you explore how the method you use to communicate can do the same.

personal style

If you think that you can't draw well enough to do this, don't worry. If you click on any picture in the dictionary or at the head of the lessons, a small card will appear that shows how to draw that particular glyph:

Just draw the image to your own ablility and with your own style. It is not important that it looks like my drawing, just that it doesn't look like any of the other glyphs. As you learn them, you will see they can change quite a bit and still remain distinct from one another. Also notice the small drawing in the lower left corner? This is a symplified version of the glyph that is still easily readible. It can be used when writing in small or tight spaces, or if you just want to make your drawn sentences pona mute.

hieroglyphics

This system uses some elements from different true hieroglyphic systems. If you are interested in exploring other real hieroglyphic systems more, you should look at Mayan, Dongba, Micmac, Egyptian, and Rongorongo.

non-linear writing

Most modern writing systems, and even most of the hieroglyphic systems mentioned above, are written out as linear elements. One exception to this is the Mayan system, which often employs glyphs appearing inside, or as attached elements, to other glyphs. As we progress through these lessons, you will see how this is true with this system as well. For instance, you will find each sentence creates one larger glyph block, and certain blocks will end up inside of other blocks. Interested in seeing this in action? Take a look in the next lesson!