Natural semantic metalanguage: Difference between revisions
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'''Natural semantic metalanguage'''{{aside|'''NSM'''}} is a theory in {{w|linguistics}}. It claims that languages can be simplified into a core, universal set of ''{{w|semantic prime}}s'', connected with [[
[[Toki Pona]] speech can be compared to explications in NSM. Both tend to have a heavy focus on [[circumlocution]]. However, the [[semantic]]s of [[Toki Pona]] words are not quite as [[Minimalism|barebones]] as those of NSM primes, and some words cover multiple primes as a result.<ref name="Daniel">{{cite web|url=//storytotell.org/post/natural-semantic-metalanguage-and-toki-pona|url-status=unfit|title=Natural Semantic Metalanguage and Toki Pona|author=Daniel K Lyons|username=|date=Apr 27, 2017|website=Daniel’s blog|publisher=|archive-url=//web.archive.org/web/20190917194319/http://www.storytotell.org/post/natural-semantic-metalanguage-and-toki-pona/|archive-date=20190917|access-date=2024-04-24|quote=}}</ref> Meanwhile, Toki Pona interestingly lacks direct expressions of several semantic primes.<ref name="Daniel" /> Some are handled through [[grammatical]] [[particle]]s, or can be translated as short [[phrase]]s.<ref name="Perl">{{cite web|url=//www.perlmonks.org/index.pl?node_id=293159|title=<nowiki>[probably OT]</nowiki> Perl in Natural Semantic Metalanguage|author=|username=liz, simonm|date=Sep 22, 2003|website=PerlMonks|publisher=|access-date=2024-04-24|quote=}} (Copy: {{cite web|url=https://aiki.pbworks.com/w/page/1594812/TP%20semantic%20prime%20words|title=TP semantic prime words|author=|username=|date=March 1, 2009|website=Dave's wiki|publisher=PBworks|access-date=2024-04-24|quote=}})</ref> Others are much more technical to convey.
==Semantic primes==
The following table lists English<ref name="What is NSM" /> and [[Usage categories|core]] Toki Pona exponents of semantic primes. This may not indicate the grammar of NSM or Toki Pona. The prior art cited is not always accurate to the modern standard [[style]].
{|class="wikitable sortable"
Line 11 ⟶ 13:
|rowspan="6"|Substantives
|I
|{{tp|[[mi]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|you
|{{tp|[[sina]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|someone
|rowspan="2"|{{tp|[[jan]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|people
|-
|(some)thing
|{{tp|[[ijo]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|body
|{{tp|[[sijelo]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="2"|Relational substantives
Line 36 ⟶ 38:
|rowspan="3"|Determiners
|this
|{{tp|[[ni]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|the same
|{{tp|[[sama]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|other/else
|{{tp|[[ante]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="6"|Quantifiers
|one
|{{tp|[[wan]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|two
|{{tp|[[tu]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|some
Line 55 ⟶ 57:
|-
|all
|{{tp|[[ale]]/[[ali]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|much/many
|{{tp|[[mute]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|little/few
|{{tp|([[mute]]) [[lili]]}}<ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="2"|Evaluators
|good
|{{tp|[[pona]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|bad
|{{tp|[[ike]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="2"|Descriptors
|big
|{{tp|[[suli]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|small
|{{tp|([[suli]]) [[lili]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="6"|Mental predicates
Line 82 ⟶ 84:
|-
|know
|{{tp|[[sona]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|want
|{{tp|[[wile]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|feel
|{{tp|[[pilin]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|see
|{{tp|[[lukin]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|hear
|{{tp|[[kute]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="3"|Speech
|say
|{{tp|[[toki]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|words
|{{tp|[[nimi]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|true
|{{tp|[[lon]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="3"|Actions, events, movement
Line 112 ⟶ 114:
|happen
|-
|move
|{{tp|[[tawa]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="3"|Location, existence, specification
|be (somewhere)
|rowspan="2"|{{tp|[[lon]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|there is
|-
|be (someone/something)
|{{N/A|Any [[noun]] [[Part-of-speech roles|used after]] {{tp|[[li]]}}<ref name="Daniel" /><br />({{tp|[[jan]]}}, {{tp|[[ijo]]}}, etc.)}}
|-
|Possession
|(is) mine
|{{tp|([[ijo]]/[[jo]]) [[mi]]}}<ref>{{cite ku|123}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|Life and death
Line 132 ⟶ 135:
|-
|die
|{{tp|[[moli]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="8"|[[Time]]
|when/time
|{{tp|[[tenpo]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|now
Line 147 ⟶ 150:
|-
|a long time
|{{tp|[[tenpo]] [[suli]]}}<ref name="Perl" />
|-
|a short time
|{{tp|[[tenpo]] [[lili]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|for some time
Line 156 ⟶ 159:
|-
|moment
|{{tp|[[tenpo]]}}<ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="9"|Space
|where/place
|{{tp|[[ma]]}}<ref name="Perl" />
|-
|here
Line 166 ⟶ 169:
|-
|above
|{{tp|([[lon]]) [[sewi]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|below
|{{tp|([[lon]]) [[anpa]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|far
|{{tp|([[lon]]) [[weka]]}}<ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|near
|{{tp|([[lon]]) [[poka]]}}<ref name="Perl" />
|-
|side
|{{tp|[[poka]]}}<ref name="Perl" />
|-
|inside
|{{tp|[[insa]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|touch
|{{tp|[[pilin]]}}<ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|rowspan="5"|Logical concepts
|not
|{{tp|[[ala]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|maybe
|{{tp|([[
|-
|can
|{{tp|[[ken]]}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|because
|{{tp|[[tan]] ([[ni]]:)}}<ref name="Perl" /><ref name="Daniel" />
|-
|if
|{{tp|[[la]]<ref name="Daniel" /> / [[lon]] [[ni]]:}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|Intensifier, augmentor
|very
|{{tp|[[mute]]<ref name="Perl" />/[[suli]]/[[a]]}}
|-
|more
Line 211 ⟶ 214:
|Similarity
|like/as/way
|{{tp|[[sama]]<ref>{{cite ku|116}}</ref>/[[nasin]]<ref name="Daniel" />}}
|}
|
Latest revision as of 20:40, 1 May 2024
Natural semantic metalanguage (NSM) is a theory in linguistics. It claims that languages can be simplified into a core, universal set of semantic primes, connected with syntactic frames that have equivalents in all languages.[1]
Toki Pona speech can be compared to explications in NSM. Both tend to have a heavy focus on circumlocution. However, the semantics of Toki Pona words are not quite as barebones as those of NSM primes, and some words cover multiple primes as a result.[2] Meanwhile, Toki Pona interestingly lacks direct expressions of several semantic primes.[2] Some are handled through grammatical particles, or can be translated as short phrases.[3] Others are much more technical to convey.
Semantic primes[edit | edit source]
The following table lists English[1] and core Toki Pona exponents of semantic primes. This may not indicate the grammar of NSM or Toki Pona. The prior art cited is not always accurate to the modern standard style.
Category | English | Toki Pona |
---|---|---|
Substantives | I | mi[3][2] |
you | sina[3][2] | |
someone | jan[3][2] | |
people | ||
(some)thing | ijo[3][2] | |
body | sijelo[3][2] | |
Relational substantives | kind | See Kinds. |
part | See Parts. | |
Determiners | this | ni[3][2] |
the same | sama[3][2] | |
other/else | ante[3][2] | |
Quantifiers | one | wan[3][2] |
two | tu[3][2] | |
some | See Some. | |
all | ale/ali[3][2] | |
much/many | mute[3][2] | |
little/few | (mute) lili[2] | |
Evaluators | good | pona[3][2] |
bad | ike[3][2] | |
Descriptors | big | suli[3][2] |
small | (suli) lili[3][2] | |
Mental predicates | think | See Thoughts. |
know | sona[3][2] | |
want | wile[3][2] | |
feel | pilin[3][2] | |
see | lukin[3][2] | |
hear | kute[3][2] | |
Speech | say | toki[3][2] |
words | nimi[3][2] | |
true | lon[3][2] | |
Actions, events, movement | do | See Actions. |
happen | ||
move | tawa[3][2] | |
Location, existence, specification | be (somewhere) | lon[3][2] |
there is | ||
be (someone/something) | Any noun used after li[2] (jan, ijo, etc.) | |
Possession | (is) mine | (ijo/jo) mi[4] |
Life and death | live | See Life. |
die | moli[3][2] | |
Time | when/time | tenpo[3][2] |
now | See Here and now. | |
before | See Before and after. | |
after | ||
a long time | tenpo suli[3] | |
a short time | tenpo lili[3][2] | |
for some time | See Some. | |
moment | tenpo[2] | |
Space | where/place | ma[3] |
here | See Here and now. | |
above | (lon) sewi[3][2] | |
below | (lon) anpa[3][2] | |
far | (lon) weka[2] | |
near | (lon) poka[3] | |
side | poka[3] | |
inside | insa[3][2] | |
touch | pilin[2] | |
Logical concepts | not | ala[3][2] |
maybe | (lon) ken (la)[3][2] | |
can | ken[3][2] | |
because | tan (ni:)[3][2] | |
if | la[2] / lon ni: | |
Intensifier, augmentor | very | mute[3]/suli/a |
more | See Comparisons. | |
Similarity | like/as/way | sama[5]/nasin[2] |
Semantic molecules[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "What is NSM". Griffith University. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 Daniel K Lyons. (27 April 2017). "Natural Semantic Metalanguage and Toki Pona". Daniel’s blog. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36 3.37 3.38 3.39 3.40 3.41 [liz, simonm]. (22 September 2003). "[probably OT] Perl in Natural Semantic Metalanguage". PerlMonks. Retrieved 24 April 2024. (Copy: (1 March 2009). "TP semantic prime words". Dave's wiki. PBworks. Retrieved 24 April 2024.)
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 123.
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 116.