The Phi manual

The complete reference, rendered from the repository. Read it in order or dip in anywhere; the primer is the gentler road, and the lexicon holds every word.

Part 1 · first light

Chapter 1 · why new language

  1. Why a new language?
  2. The language laboratory
  3. What Phi attempts, and what it doesn't
  4. How to use this book

Chapter 2 · first words

  1. What Phi sounds like
  2. Your first sentence
  3. The music of vowel hiatus
  4. Ten essential words to start
  5. A simple conversation

Part 2 · soul

Chapter 3 · five pillars

  1. Pillar One: Solarpunk Values
  2. Pillar Two: Buddhist concepts
  3. Pillar Three: Art Nouveau aesthetics
  4. Pillar Four: Peace linguistics
  5. Pillar Five: Pre-industrial wisdom

Chapter 4 · philosophy of sound meaning grammar

  1. Sound as practice
  2. Sound as symbol
  3. The living web of concepts
  4. From reaction to reflection
  5. The three slots

Chapter 5 · social philosophy

  1. Respect without hierarchy
  2. Conversation as collaboration
  3. The ethics of communication
  4. Building bridges across difference

Chapter 6 · philosophy of learning

  1. The philosophy of learning
  2. The learning relationship
  3. Patience with process
  4. Transformation through practice
  5. Ripple effects

Part 3 · phonology

Chapter 7 · sound inventory

  1. A limited palette, infinite expression
  2. The five vowels
  3. The ten consonants
  4. The four fricative digraphs
  5. IPA reference

Chapter 8 · music of phi

  1. The golden rule
  2. Syllable structure
  3. Penultimate stress
  4. Common pitfalls
  5. Exercises
  6. Writing Phi down

Part 4 · grammar

Chapter 9 · particle system

  1. The particle system
  2. The three slots explained
  3. Slot 0: Framing intention
  4. Slot 1: Shaping the verb
  5. Slot 2: Refining words
  6. How particles combine

Chapter 10 · mindful sentence

  1. Introduction: the verb comes last
  2. The SOV worldview: context before action
  3. The modifier-first principle
  4. Building your first sentences
  5. Questions, requests, and conditions
  6. Exercises: constructing mindful sentences

Chapter 11 · nouns

  1. Nouns and their world
  2. The zero-article system
  3. Plural marking with 'lo'
  4. The classifier system
  5. Descriptors and quantifiers
  6. Expressing possession
  7. The words of color
  8. The words of place
  9. The words of the body
  10. The words of the heart
  11. The words of the arts
  12. The words of the exchange

Chapter 12 · numbers

  1. The ternary foundation
  2. Building numbers
  3. Approximation: the honest quantities
  4. Position and kind
  5. Conscious calculation

Chapter 13 · pronouns

  1. The core pronouns
  2. Forming plurals
  3. The reflexive miso
  4. The reciprocal wiso
  5. Deixis: here and there

Chapter 14 · verbs time

  1. The unmarked present
  2. Past to: completed events
  3. Future so: possibility and intention
  4. Aspect: the texture of time
  5. Combining tense and aspect
  6. Event nouns: every verb is also its noun
  7. The words of time
  8. The turning of a life

Chapter 15 · voice possibility

  1. The passive se
  2. The causative ka
  3. Possibility po
  4. Necessity na
  5. Negation ma

Chapter 16 · evidentiality

  1. Evidentiality: knowing how we know
  2. Direct experience hi
  3. Inference ke
  4. Reported ti
  5. Assumption ho
  6. Why evidentiality matters for peace

Part 5 · complex

Chapter 17 · coordination

  1. Simple conjunction: nela
  2. Contrast: thona
  3. Alternative: sola
  4. Addition: we

Chapter 18 · discourse

  1. Discourse flow
  2. Consequence and contrast
  3. Addition and example
  4. Precision: rephrasing, specifying, and summarizing

Chapter 19 · subordinate clauses

  1. Subordinate clauses
  2. Complement clauses
  3. Direct and indirect speech
  4. Adverbial clauses

Chapter 20 · relative clauses

  1. Describing within
  2. The relativizer rena
  3. Headed relative clauses
  4. Headless relative clauses

Part 6 · mastery

Chapter 21 · social context

  1. The vocative kona: calling with care
  2. Politeness pi: softening with grace
  3. The honorific system: sa, ni, le
  4. Register and formality
  5. When to use what

Chapter 22 · transmutation

  1. Thinking in Phi, not translating
  2. The transmutation process
  3. Case study: transmuting anger
  4. Case study: transmuting a news article
  5. Case study: transmuting poetry
  6. Practice: your own transmutations

Chapter 23 · living in phi

  1. Daily practice
  2. Journaling in Phi
  3. Meditation and Phi
  4. Finding or building community
  5. The ongoing journey

Part 7 · reference

  1. Part VII: Reference
  2. Quick Reference Grammar
  3. Sample texts

Appendices

  1. Appendix A: Glossary of Linguistic Terms
  2. Appendix B: Comparison with Natural Languages
  3. Appendix C: Resources for Further Study