Personal pronouns: Difference between revisions

Line 6:

|PoS=content word

}}

The '''personal pronouns''' in [[Toki Pona]] are '''{{tp|mi}}''' (first-person), '''{{tp|sina}}''' (second-person), and '''{{tp|ona}}''' (third-person). In terms of ~~number~~ and syntax, pronouns act the same as any other [[content word]].

The '''personal pronouns''' in [[Toki Pona]] are '''{{tp|mi}}''' (first-person), '''{{tp|sina}}''' (second-person), and '''{{tp|ona}}''' (third-person). In terms of morphology and syntax, pronouns act the same as any other [[content word]].

==Etymology==

The word {{tp|mi}} is derived from {{w|Esperanto}} ''{{lang|eo|mi}}'', itself from the third-person oblique pronoun in Romance and Germanic languages, and English ''me''; {{tp|sina}} from {{w|Finnish language|Finnish}} ''{{lang|fi|sinä}}'', meaning "you";<ref name="etym">{{cite etym}}</ref> and {{tp|ona}} from {{w|Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian}} ''{{lang|hr|ona}}'' / {{lang|rs|она}}, meaning "she".<ref>{{tok|jan inwin}}. [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t-pjAgZDyKPXcCRnEdATFQOxGbQFMjZm-8EvXiQd2Po/edit?usp=sharing {{tok|nimi ale pona}} (2nd ed.)]. ''Google Sheets''. Retrieved 13 October 2023.</ref>

==Number==

Pronouns are generally ~~not marked~~ for [[number]]. They can be either singular or plural:

Pronouns are generally unmarked for [[number]]. They can be either singular or plural:

{{Example

Line 23:

Line 26:

{{Example

| ona

| it, she/her, he/him, singular they/them <br/>

| it, she/her, he/him, singular they/them<br/>they/them

they/them

}}

Line 32:

Line 34:

|{{Example|mi [[wan]]|I}}

|{{Example|mi [[tu]]|us two}}

|{{Example|mi [[mute]]|we<ref group="~~note~~">Similarly to other content words, {{tp|mute}} is generally reserved for three or more individuals. If "we" refers to two people it is more common to use {{tp|mi tu}} or just {{tp|mi}} instead of {{tp|mi mute}}.</ref>}}

|{{Example|mi [[mute]]|we<ref group="lower-alpha">Similarly to other content words, {{tp|mute}} is generally reserved for three or more individuals. If "we" refers to two people it is more common to use {{tp|mi tu}} or just {{tp|mi}} instead of {{tp|mi mute}}.</ref>}}

|{{Example|mi [[ale]]|we all}}

|}

Line 62:

Line 64:

The words {{tp|[[ni]]}} ("this, that") and {{tp|[[seme]]}} ("what") are also pronouns, as they stand in for a content word or phrase, but they are not personal pronouns. See also [[ona vs ni|{{tp|ona}} vs {{tp|ni}}]].

===~~Unused~~ pronouns===

===Nonstandard personal pronouns===

{{nimi

When toki pona first got published on the internet in 2001, "iki" was used instead of "ona". In 2002-03-24, a poll was created in the Yahoo! group about whether iki should be changed as it seemed to be too long and too similar to ike. The options were to not change anything, drop iki when it’s the subject and is understood, change iki to i, or find another solution.<ref>https://tinyurl.com/y4a7xzbu</ref> Then, in 2002-05-16, another poll on the Yahoo! group about {{tp|iki}} opened as the result of the previous one was to find a new solution. The options were to not change anything, change {{tp|iki}} to {{tp|ipi}}, change {{tp|iki}} to {{tp|ona}}, or find yet another solution.<ref>https://tinyurl.com/yyj7cxgp</ref> Finally, in 2002-05-31, the result of the poll was that {{tp|iki}} changed to {{tp|ona}}.<ref>https://tinyurl.com/yxe9qa9c</ref><ref>https://tinyurl.com/y4pqgjwm</ref>

| iki

| PoS = content word

}}

In 2001, when Toki Pona was first published, the word '''{{tp|iki}}''' was as a third-person pronoun used instead of {{tp|ona}}. The word was derived from {{w|Georgian language|Georgian}} {{lang|ka|იბი}} (''igi'').<ref name="etym"/> In March 2002, a poll was created in the Yahoo group asking whether {{tp|iki}} should be changed as it was "too long and too similar to {{tp|ike}}".<ref>Unknown author (24 March 2002). [http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?t=1 New poll for tokipona]. ''Toki Pona Forums''.</ref> The proposals for replacing {{tp|iki}} included '''{{tp|i}}''' and '''{{tp|ipi}}'''.

In a second poll in May 2002,<ref>Unknown author (15 May 2002). [http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?t=1#p51 New poll for tokipona]. ''Toki Pona Forums''.</ref> it was decided to change {{tp|iki}} to {{tp|ona}}.<ref>Unknown author (21 May 2002). [http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?p=55#p55 Poll results for tokipona]. ''Toki Pona Forums''.</ref>

⚫

While these nonstandard pronouns are sometimes referenced for historical purposes,{{citation needed}} they don't actually see any noticable use beyond that.

⚫

While these pronouns are sometimes referenced for historical purposes, they don't actually see any noticable use beyond that.

==Notes==

==References==