IMPORTANT!

The main updates include:

• a (max) and o (zero) are now regular domains, always hyphenated like any other domain.
• Full rework of domains to always be "positive" be default with a structural ni- prefix flipping them to negative as needed

vu - has been changed to "but / however" fe - has been changed to femininity

What is this?

Dupi (shared understanding) is a constructed language where every concept is a coordinate point in semantic space. Instead of thousands of arbitrary words, you combine a domain (what dimension of reality) with modifiers.

Why is it called Dupi? It seemed to fit more or less based on its meaning in Dupi and it does not seem to have a major existing meaning, at least when it comes to languages or culture.

Core idea

angry → not a word, but a coordinate: ni-fu (opposite of calm = angry)

lake → so-a-li (big, max liquid)

I love you → ma a-lo-vo sa (I max-attraction-do you)

why? → me jo (because, question)

Word formation

Words are formed from the least recognizable characteristic to the most recognizable characteristic required to differentiate them in the given context. This means there can be more than one possible way to refer to the same thing, same as it is in natural languages, but even more so.

For ease of common understanding, a vocabulary of words derived from the existing morphology exists, but it does not mean deviation from it is forbidden or that it absolutely must be learned by heart to understand Dupi.

Dupi should be more-or-less understandable by learning the meanings of its modifiers and domains.

Design goals

• Make the core vocabulary as simple as possible.
• Everything imaginable should derive from the core language.
• Grammar must be as simple as possible. No explicit tenses. No explicit cases. No magic rules. The main rule is "anything before a word applies to the word. In case of a verb, the object comes after too".
• Meaning must be more or less guessable, if the core language is understood, even if the composed word is unknown.
• New word compositions are allowed and encouraged.
• Use tooling to make it simpler to develop. Let anybody participate where possible.
• Should be pronounciable by as many people in the world as possible.
• Use well known words from other languages for domains where possible, but don't worry about it much. It's not meant to replace Esperanto or any other grander languages.
• Make it easy to learn; provide auxiliary tools for it and materials.
• Punctuation is .,?!" - same as it would be in the majority of European languages, but deviation from it is not forbidden either, if it enhances understanding and makes life easier.
• Names are local. Names of countries, places, people, and other proper nouns are not translated. The local word or name is used as-is.

Why does it look like it does?

At least some of the inspiration comes from Toki Pona. The difference is that all words are created from modifiers and a set of domains that are a bit like adjectives. Although they can sometimes also be nouns or structural words. The question marker "jo" is analogous to Japanese "ka".

Does this not create a lot of ambiguity?

Yes and no. All natural languages tend to have ambiguity in them and most constructed as well. It is not a problem unless the ambiguity is unresolvable based on the context. We shall see.

There is a word or words I think would be good to add to the common vocabulary

Absolutely! To send me a word, please solve one crossword puzzle first and it'll give you a secret link that can be used to enable requesting addition of new words, vote on existing words and so on.

Is it a universal language?

It has no speakers as I'm writing this, so it's definitely not universal. Quite the opposite. Although it is intended to be an auxiliary language. The goal is to be as easy to learn as a second or third language, but it is very likely rather difficult learn as a first language as higher level concepts are used as core of the language. For somebody who has just arrived in this world, none of these concepts are high priority compared to "mama" (although it is a word meaning parent!) or "papa".

It is "somewhat" a pidgin language in some places, although sometimes it might just be a coincidence that a language has a term that matches a domain or some other word in Dupi.

Why a language like this?

As I mentioned earlier a lot of the inspiration comes from Toki Pona and that is because I was looking for a very simple language that is quick to learn. Long story short, some people close to me do not share a common language.

Similar to what Toki Pona is, I was imagining a language that is very easy to gain an approximate understanding of, even if the nuances require more time. A language where even unknown words would give a hint as to what they might mean.

Why not Toki Pona?

I like the idea of Toki Pona a lot and can at least to some extent read and understand it as well, so from only my own perspective, there is little reason at all. Taking into account a few other considerations... It was easier to convince people close to me to learn a language I made. And part of me wanted to see if I can make a language that is very simple to learn. I don't know if it is THAT simple of a language, but I think exploration has its own worth no matter what.

Why not Ro?

Some inspiration is from Ro (not Romanian, but the a priori language by Rev. Edward Powell Foster). The vocabulary of it, although constructed in a systematic way, felt too extensive and also difficult to pronounce.

Why are domains like they are?

The pronouns derive from first person pronouns in Estonian, the rest are random. If you look at the "Why a language like this?" section, it will make sense. Ma-ma for parent exists because I wanted to make it at least partially match maaany languages and Toki Pona. There is a retroactive logical reason for ma-ma to mean a parent as "first-first", but that was an afterthought.

As for domains, it depends on the domain. In most cases there is no strong reason other than "that convenient syllable was just left over and I could not translate something without it".

However:

• fu is calm as in f-u, don't care in English; it was not intentional, but I thought it would be funny, so it stayed
• lo as in "love"; also English, not intentional, but worked really well
• mu as in joy and mu-mu as funny were accidental at first, BUT once I realized that if (a huge if), Dupi would be used as an international language, it would be absolutely hilarious to hear heads of state say "muuu!" to each other. The compatibility with the programming language "Cow" is entirely coincidental.
• po felt like a STRONG word, because POW!
• to looks a bit like temperature "temperature degrees", not very helpful, but temperature is a word shared across many languages
• ti as time is just borrowed from English prefix of time; unfair to other languages, but what can we do
• ja comes deliberately from "ja" as "and" in Estonian although it has now extended meaning
• vi comes as a late change to indicate "or"; it almost meant it before, but there was some haggling between domains; the closeness to Estonian "või" is accidental, but appreciated
• vo is a verb-object!
• ki comes from qi or chi, because everybody has heard it (probably)
• be is from "to be". Think "bevo vi obevo".
• mama is half-deliberate derivation from double ma

The rest were just... something quite random.

The vast majority of the domains have no particular reason to be one or other thing because there are few shared commonalities between languages when it comes to domain level concepts that I could think of.

Why is "no" separate from "o"?

Because "o" is like a 0 and "no" is like "false". It was a bit of an accident that just felt convenient later. To be able to differentiate the two that is. Also, "no" grew to its own domain that indicates level of agreement.