Natural semantic metalanguage
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. Meanwhile, Toki Pona interestingly lacks direct expressions of several semantic primes. Some are handled through grammatical particles. Others are much more technical to convey.
Semantic primes
The following table lists English[1] and core Toki Pona exponents of semantic primes.
Category | English | Toki Pona |
---|---|---|
Substantives | I | mi |
you | sina | |
someone | jan | |
people | ||
(some)thing | ijo | |
body | sijelo | |
Relational substantives | kind | See Kinds. |
part | See Parts. | |
Determiners | this | ni |
the same | sama | |
other/else | ante | |
Quantifiers | one | wan |
two | tu | |
some | See Some. | |
all | ale | |
much/many | mute | |
little/few | (mute) lili | |
Evaluators | good | pona |
bad | ike | |
Descriptors | big | suli |
small | (suli) lili | |
Mental predicates | think | See Thoughts. |
know | sona | |
want | wile | |
feel | pilin | |
see | lukin | |
hear | kute | |
Speech | say | toki |
words | nimi | |
true | lon | |
Actions, events, movement | do | See Actions. |
happen | ||
move | tawa | |
Location, existence, specification | be (somewhere) | lon |
there is | ||
be (someone/something) | Any noun used after li (jan, ijo, etc.) | |
Possession | (is) mine | (jo) mi |
Life and death | live | See Life. |
die | moli | |
Time | when/time | tenpo |
now | See Here and now. | |
before | See Before and after. | |
after | ||
a long time | tenpo suli | |
a short time | tenpo lili | |
for some time | See Some. | |
moment | tenpo | |
Space | where/place | ma |
here | See Here and now. | |
above | lon sewi | |
below | lon anpa | |
far | (lon) weka | |
near | lon poka | |
side | poka | |
inside | insa | |
touch | pilin | |
Logical concepts | not | ala |
maybe | (lon) ken (la) | |
can | ken | |
because | tan (ni:) | |
if | la / lon ni: | |
Intensifier, augmentor | very | mute/suli/a |
more | See Comparisons. | |
Similarity | like/as/way | sama/nasin |
Semantic molecules
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "What is NSM". Griffith University. Retrieved 17 April 2024.