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WRITE LESS, MEAN MORE
Two Talk is a compact semantic notation system that compresses complex meaning into a small amount of text. Nine core symbols combine into 81 semantic primes, which can be extended through double and triple compounds to express precise ideas in just a few characters. Where natural language may need a paragraph, Two Talk can capture the essential meaning in a line.
Because meaning is compressed, Two Talk is useful in several scenarios. As semantic compression, it's well suited to low-bandwidth messaging, dense note-taking, structured logs, and compact AI prompts. As a language-independent semantic layer, it can represent concepts in a compact form that can then be rendered into natural languages or used as an intermediate layer for search, AI systems, and structured reasoning. It can also be a useful symbolic input layer for AAC and assistive communication. And as a human-computer interface, its structurally deterministic expressions serve as a compact data notation for APIs, agents, and other software systems.
It's minimal, plaintext, keyboard-first, and grep-friendly: everything is built from the same small semantic vocabulary - 9 core symbols, 81 semantic primes and 531,441 compounds - so it's fast to write, easy to search, and straightforward for both people and computers to parse. Two Talk is designed for developers, writers, and anyone capturing notes, statuses, ideas, or structured information who wants to write less and mean more.
Two Talk is plaintext shorthand where 9 symbols can be combined to express a possible 531K+ concepts, giving compact, consistent and calculable notes.
Each symbol stands for one basic category of meaning. These 9 categories are the building blocks of Two Talk - by pairing any two together and you get a predictable, consistent meaning.
The grid shows what every two-symbol combination means. Every ordered pair has one canonical meaning that never changes under compounding or translation. To read the grid: find the first symbol in the left column, and the second symbol along the top row.
Order: Write left to right: who → what →
when. Words modify each other following the compound rule: XX.YY = XX modifies YY. e.g.
@> >@ :# = You speak now, and %! #!.^? = bad platform.
Sentences: Each line is its own sentence.
Negation: Add .<! after a
pair to negate it. e.g. >!.<! = no action
/ blocked. To negate a longer statement, break it into
spaced words and use <! as a standalone
word - e.g. @@ >: <! @% #^ = I will not
contact this group.
Questions: Start with >? to
ask a question. e.g. >? @% LG
>^ :#
= Is the legal team still waiting?
Tense: :< = past,
:> = future, :# = now. For
something ongoing, compound :: - e.g.
>!.:: = process still running. Leave tense
out when it's obvious from context.
?: (If) -
>: (After) = if / then - e.g.
?: ^^.!> :# >: @%.^@ = if it's
raining, we stay home. %% (Same) = and,
<> (Other) = or. ?% (Why)
= because. !< (Refuse) = but.
!@ (Want) = in order to. Same as
negation: as a standalone word, these act as
connectors; inside a compound, they keep their normal
meaning.
Literals: Use plain numbers for amounts
(5), dates as YYYY-MM-DD
(2025-04-14), times in 24hr
(1430), and use initials for names and entities
(JN, LG).
Canon: The 81 primitives have one permanent canonical meaning that compound meanings or translations cannot redefine. The core symbols and default double compounds act as a global standard. Custom double and triple compounds serve as local shorthand.
Speech: Two Talk is designed to be written
however to aid learning each symbol has a spoken sound -
@ (An), # (Ob),
! (Ve), ? (Mo),
> (Ak), < (Li),
: (Ti), ^ (Sa),
% (Me).
Compounding follows one absolute rule: XX.YY = XX modifies YY for doubles and XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies XX for triples. Use dots (.) to join either two XX.YY or three XX.YY.ZZ pairs together to express 6,561 double pair meanings and 531,441 triple pair meanings.
@?
agent + inquiry
@?
agent + inquiry
^?
place + idea
XX.YY = YY modifies XX (^? modifies @?).
#!
object + action
#!
object + action
^?
place + idea
XX.YY = YY modifies XX (^? modifies #!).
#!
object + action
^?
place + idea
%!
measure + intensity
XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies XX (%! modifies ^? modifies #!).
Search the 81 core symbols and their common synonyms, or switch to double and triple compounds to search every combination in English or Two Talk. The 81 primitives are frozen and permanently fixed - compound interpretations or natural language translations will never redefine them. Standard double definitions provide a baseline vocabulary, while triples are unassigned by default for personal or domain shorthand. When you print the page, it will include your updated definitions.
| Symbol | Meaning | Category |
|---|
Tracking an issue and a blocked response.
JN (Literal name)
>@ (say/flag) %! (bad/threat)
:< (past).@%.^? (group + context/legal)
>!.<! (execution + negation/blocked)
:: (ongoing).
Type English or Two Talk into the first box - the direction is auto-detected and the converted result appears in the second box. Unmatched words or symbols are skipped.
Four steps to learn Two Talk. Start with the symbols, then build up to writing full sentences.
Learn the 9 symbols. These are the
building blocks for everything else:
@ # ! ? > < : ^ %
Learn the 81 pairs. Every ordered pair has a permanent canonical meaning that never changes (e.g., >@ is always "Say", @> is always "You").
Compound with one absolute rule. XX.YY = YY modifies XX. For triples: XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies AXX.
Write sentences. One line per statement: who → what → when. Separate each word with a space.
These are the 25 most useful pairs optimized for notes, tasks, and status.
@@ Self
@# Is / Being
@% People
># Do / Action
>! Execution
>> Progression
#! Tool
#? What / Item
<! Not / Blocked
!! Done / Perfect
%! Bad / Crisis
!? Can / Able
!@ Motive / Intent
?? Wonder / Ask
?# Fact / Know
?! Knowledge
?^ Context
%^ All / Entire
!> Move / Speed
>@ Speech / Say
?: If
:: Duration
:< Past
:> Future
:# Now