Coining new words

Pikotika gains vocabulary by collapsing common phrases. If there is no word for a thing, describe it — and if you find yourself using the description often, close up the spaces to mak a new word.

electric toilet

vorto toreta

the same thing, now one word

vortotoreta

Spoken, the difference is the stress: VOR-to to-RE-ta becomes vor-to-to-RE-ta. It's one word, so it gets only one stress, always on the next-to-last syllable.

The two rules

Rule	Example
Drop any te when you collapse.	sam pari te vema → samparivema
If a root ends in `-ts`, `-ns` or `-ks` and the next starts with a consonant, insert an `e`.	mets yan → metseyan

Note tha the first rule above means that the usual grouping rules for modifiers may not apply within a compound. That's OK; words become compounds because they are common, and it's easy enough to remember the proper interpretation.

Collapsing fixes a meaning

For the same reason, a compound can settle on one meaning while the spaced phrase keeps the plain literal one, which may be more general or open to interpretation.

Spaced	Solid
non konten — not happy	nonkonten — sad
non mas — not more	nonmas — less
kase peste — a household animal	kasepeste — a cat

Length is a generality gradient

Shorter is more general, longer more specific. These are a series, not competing candidates:

Pikotika	Literally	Meaning
pomo	fruit	any fruit
yoropomo	yellow-fruit	a yellow fruit, usually a banana
ronkayoropomo	long-yellow-fruit	a banana, unmistakably

When possible, check first

If you have an idea for a new compound word, there's a good chance that someone has already coined it, or something equivalent. Search Vocabulary before inventing; it's better to use an existing word than create a new one.

That said, if you are speaking and need a word in the moment, go ahead and make one up! As long as your listener can understand what you mean, there is no problem.

Try it yourself

Can you figure out these words?

komivakeomo
Show answer

food-make-person — a cook (a person who makes food).
rinekaro
Show answer

line-vehicle — a public transit vehicle, i.e. a bus or train.
triangle, literally three angles (three is tets, and angle is kurva)
Show answer

tetsekurva — remember the linking e, needed because tets ends in -ts.

← Back to Grammar