Glossary: Difference between revisions

This is a '''glossary''' of [[grammatical]] terms used on this{{tp|[[sona wikipona]]}}.

:A word that [[#modifier|modifies]] or describes a [[#noun|noun]]. In English, "Bigbig" and "tall" are examplesadjectives. In Toki Pona, [[#modifier|modifiers]] that follow words in a noun-like position may be ofcalled adjectives.

:A word that [[#modifier|modifies]] or describes a [[#verb|verb]]. In English, they often end in "Quickly-ly"; "quickly" and "slowly" are examplesadverbs. ofIn adverbsToki Pona, [[#modifier|modifiers]] that follow words in a verb-like position may be called adjectives.

:In{{Main|Content words}}The main type of word in [[tokiToki ponaPona]], anywhich can be used as a [[#Nounhead|head]] or [[#modifier|modifier]] (and thus like a [[#noun|noun]], [[#Verbverb|verb]], [[#adjective|adjective]], or [[#Modifieradverb|modifieradverb]], canalthough beits usedprimary indefinition's anypart of thosespeech roles.can Collectivelyaffect theseits wordsmeaning arein referredother toparts asof "contentspeech). words"In andToki are distinguished fromPona, {{tp|[[#Particle|particlespona]]. ''pona''}}, ''{{tp|[[suwi'']]}}, and ''{{tp|[[moku'']]}} are examples of content words. inContrast toki pona[[#particle|particle]].

:A grammatical mood that expresses a command or instruction. In English, "Do as I say, not as I do." isand an"Go!" are imperative [[#sentence,|sentences]]. as[[Toki isPona]] "go!"marks the imperative with {{tp|[[o]]}}. Contrast [[#indicative|indicative]], [[#optative|optative]], [[#vocative|vocative]].

:A grammatical mood that describes a real or actual thing. TheIn sentenceEnglish, "theThe cat is cute." is an exampleindicative of[[#sentence|sentence]]. anContrast indicative[[#imperative|imperative]], sentence[[#optative|optative]], [[#vocative|vocative]].

:A [[#verb|verb]] that cannot take a direct [[#object|object]]. In English, the verb "Smilesmile" is analmost always intransitive, verb:as in "the baby smiles."; the alternative, "the baby smiles a ball", doesn't make sense. Contrast [[#transitive verb|transitive verb]]. See also the article [[Transitivity]].

:{{Main|Modifiers}}In [[tokiToki ponaPona]] grammar, an [[#Adverbadjective|adverbsadjective]] andor [[#Adjectiveadverb|adjectivesadverb]]. areUnlike English, Toki Pona never distinguished,distinguishes unlikethese English.parts Anyof tokispeech; ponaany word that can modify a [[#Nounnoun|noun]] can also modify a [[#Verbverb|verb]], and vice versa. For this reason, the two are often lumped together as "modifiers" when discussing toki pona grammar.

:A word that names a person, place, or thing. "Fish", and "tree", andare common nouns; "Oklahoma" areis a [[#proper noun|proper noun]]. In Toki Pona, [[#content word|content words]] in many [[#head|head]] positions may be called nouns.

:The{{Needs thingwork|indirect orobject, thingscomparison of direct vs. indirect objects|entry}}The thing(s) to which the action of the [[#sentence|sentence]] is done. In English, in the sentence "youYou pet the dog,.", "the word "dog" is the direct object. In Toki Pona, the direct object is marked with the [[#particle|particle]] {{tp|[[e]]}}.

:A grammatical mood that expresses a wish, hope, or desire. TheIn sentenceEnglish, "theThe children should do their homework." is an exampleoptative of[[#sentence|sentence]]. anContrast optative[[#imperative|imperative]], sentence[[#indicative|indicative]], [[#vocative|vocative]].

:{{Main|Particles}}A word that has no definite meaning but is used to showmarks the grammatical structure of a [[#Sentencesentence|sentence]], having no [[#semantic (value)|semantic]] meaning in itself. In Toki Pona, {{tp|[[li]]}}, {{tp|[[e]]}}, and {{tp|[[pi]]}} are examples of particles. Contrast [[:Category:Particles#content word|particlescontent word]] in toki pona.

:The part of thea [[#sentence|sentence]] that isincludes attacheda to[[#verb|verb]] theand subjectsometimes [[#object|objects]]. In the sentence "The human looks at the tree", "looks at the tree" is the predicate. andIn Toki Pona, "the human"predicate is marked with the [[#particle|particle]] {{tp|[[li]]}} or sometimes {{tp|[[o]]}}. Contrast [[#subject|subject]].

:{{Main|Prepositions}}A word that describes a [[#noun|noun]]'s relationship to the rest of the [[#sentence|sentence]] in time or space. In English, "Afterafter" and "beside" are examples of prepositions. Often the preposition and the noun it introduces are referred to as thea "prepositional [[#phrase.|phrase]]". In the sentence "donDon't give coffee to infants,.", "to infants" is a prepositional phrase.

:A [[#noun|noun]] that names a specific or definite thing. Personal names and names of places are usually proper nouns. In English, "Preston", "Europe", and "Mount Everest" are examplesproper ofnouns. In standard Toki Pona, proper names are not nouns; see [[#proper adjective|proper adjective]].

;semantic (value)semantics<span id="Semantic (Value)" /><span id="Semantic (value)" /><span id="semantic (value)" /><span id="semantic space" /><span id="Semantics" /><span id="semantics" />

:{{Main|Semantic space}}The "meaning" of thea word. GenerallySemantics opposedis to syntax, which describes how words are placed next to one another, semantics concerns itselfconcerned with the possible alternative words that could occupy a single position in a [[#sentence|sentence]]. Contrast [[#syntax|syntax]].

:A group of words that contain a [[#subject|subject]] and a [[#predicate|predicate]]. In English, "Dogs chase cats." is a sentence. "Apple pie" is not; it is a sentence fragment, and more specifically a [[#phrase|phrase]].

:The main actor or actors in a [[#sentence|sentence]]. In the sentence "I read the book," the word "I" is the subject. In Toki Pona, subjects are often unmarked, but multiple subjects are joined with the [[#particle|particle]] {{tp|[[en]]}}. Contrast [[#predicate|predicate]].

:The position of words in a [[#sentence|sentence]] or phrase. Often words are categorized by the kinds of positions they can occupy in a sentence, or what words they can appear next to. Contrast [[#semantic (value)|semantic (value)]].

:{{Main|Transitivity}}A [[#verb|verb]] that takes a direct [[#object|object]]. In English, the verb "Eateat" iscan abe transitive verb: in "I eat the cookie.", it takes the direct object "the cookie". In Toki Pona, transitive verbs are followed by the particle {{tp|[[e]]}} and the direct object. Contrast [[#intransitive verb|intransitive verb]].

:A word that names an action. In English, "Runrun", "sit", and "sitbe" are examplesverbs. In Toki Pona, [[#content word|content words]] that are [[#preverb|preverbs]] or the [[#head|head]] of a [[#predicate|predicate]] may be called verbs.

:A form of a [[#noun|noun]] used to call to or address something or someone. In theEnglish, phrasein "heyHey you!", the word "you" is vocative. English does not usually distinguish vocative from non-vocative nouns, butaside otherfrom languagesthe (likearchaic tokiparticle pona)"O" as in "{{w|O Canada}}". [[Toki Pona]] marks the vocative with {{tp|[[o]]}}. Contrast [[#imperative|imperative]], [[#indicative|indicative]], do[[#optative|optative]].