View source for Parts of speech

A '''part of speech''' is a category of words that have shared [[grammatical]] properties.

While the book {{pu|en}} defined words according to English-like parts of speech, they have always been [[Part-of-speech roles|interchangeable between the roles]] of [[noun]]s, [[verb]]s, and [[adjective]]s. That is, English-style parts of speech mostly only affect words' [[semantic space]]s rather than their grammatical properties, and may be thought of as ''classes'' within a single "[[content word]]" part of speech.

The following classification for [[Toki Pona]] was first proposed on [[r/tokipona]] subreddit by user u/pisceyo ({{tok|kala kala}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/tokipona/comments/df0zbi/toki_pona_analysis_parts_of_speech/|title=Toki Pona Analysis: Parts of Speech|website=Reddit|author={{tok|kala kala}}|username=u/pisceyo|date=2019-10-08}}</ref> and recommended by the {{ku|en}}.<ref>{{cite ku|4–5}}</ref> It is more widely accepted than the previous classification. 

==Classification==
;[[content word]]
:A type of word with [[semantic (value)|semantic value]] (meaning). It may act as the {{w|Head (linguistics)|head}} or [[modifier]] of a content phrase and be used in the {{w|predicate}}.
;[[particle]]
:A type of word which performs grammatical or syntactic functions and lacks [[semantic (value)|semantic value]] or capacity to take on another part of speech.

===Word classes===
;[[preposition]]
:A [[content word]] that can introduce a prepositional phrase when other content words follow it. Its preposition sense may have a different meaning from its general content word sense. In standard Toki Pona, prepositional phrases are not marked with any particle.
;[[preverb]]
:A [[content word]] that can be placed before the main [[verb]] of a [[sentence]] (or before another preverb). Its preverb sense may have a different meaning from its general content word sense. Preverbs generally make distinctions in grammatical mood or aspect. In standard Toki Pona, preverbs are not marked with any particle (see [[Preverb marking]]).
;[[Names|name <span style="font-weight:normal;">or</span> proper adjective]]
:A [[content word]] that represents a name or loanword. In standard Toki Pona, a name is a [[modifier]] that requires a common content word [[Headnouns|before it]], instead of being a [[proper noun]]. It is specially marked depending on the writing system: [[capital]]ized in {{tp|[[sitelen Lasina]]}}, written in a cartouche in {{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}}, and written as syllable glyphs in a cartouche in {{tp|[[sitelen sitelen]]}}.
;[[number]]
:A [[content word]] that expresses a numeric value. Its number sense may have a different meaning from its general content word sense. In a well-known [[number system]], adjacent numbers are added up instead of acting as [[modifier]]s.
;[[semiparticle]]
:A type of word that acts like a [[particle]], but has [[semantic (value)|semantic value]] (meaning) or can also be used as a [[content word]].
;[[interjection]]
:A type of word or phrase that is used outside of a full [[sentence]], as an exclamation or [[phatic expression]].

==See also==
{{Wikipedia|parts of speech}}
* [[Glossary]], a dictionary of terms that describe English and Toki Pona grammar

==References==
<references/>
{{Words}}
[[Category:Parts of speech| ]]