Toki Pona: Difference between revisions
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== Language rules == |
== Language rules == |
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# '''[[Phonology]]''': Letters are pronounced as in the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. Stress is on the start of each word. |
# '''[[Phonology]]''': Letters are pronounced as in the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. Stress is on the start of each word. Most of the consonants are intuitive to English speakers. {{tp|j}} is an {{tp|i}} with a swash tail, pronounced like English Y as in "fjord" and "hallelujah". Vowels are pronounced as in languages like Spanish, Japanese, and Esperanto. There are well-defined [[phonotactics]], but that only matters for transliterating [[name]]s. |
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# '''Modifiers''' (adjectives or adverbs) come after their heads (nouns or verbs). |
# '''Modifiers''' (adjectives or adverbs) come after their heads (nouns or verbs). {{sp|toki-pona|toki pona}}, {{sp|toki|toki}} ("language") is the head, and {{sp|pona|pona}} ("good") is the modifier. {{sp|sike loje mi|sike loje mi}} is literally "ball red my", and means "my red ball". This is typically the opposite of English, but there are counterexamples like "<u>someone<u> special", "<u>anything</u> new", "<u>time</u> immemorial", and "<u>Alcoholics</u> Anonymous". |
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# '''[[Names|Proper names]]''' are modifiers and require a descriptive [[Headnouns|head]]. {{Indent|[[Sonja Lang]] becomes {{tp|jan Sonja}}, "the person Sonja". Canada becomes {{tp|ma Kanata}}, "the place Canada".}} |
# '''[[Names|Proper names]]''' are modifiers and require a descriptive [[Headnouns|head]]. {{Indent|[[Sonja Lang]] becomes {{tp|jan Sonja}}, "the person Sonja". Canada becomes {{tp|ma Kanata}}, "the place Canada".}} |
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# '''Phrasal modifiers''' start with {{tp|[[pi]]}}, which groups the rest of the phrase. {{Indent|{{tp|tomo telo nasa}} means "strange water room", perhaps "weird washroom"; {{tp|tomo}} is modified by {{tp|telo}} and {{tp|nasa}}. {{tp|tomo pi telo nasa}} means "strange-water room", perhaps "pub", because alcohol is a liquid that makes people strange; {{tp|tomo}} is modified by {{tp|telo nasa}}, wherein {{tp|telo}} is modified by {{tp|nasa}}.}} |
# '''Phrasal modifiers''' start with {{tp|[[pi]]}}, which groups the rest of the phrase. {{Indent|{{tp|tomo telo nasa}} means "strange water room", perhaps "weird washroom"; {{tp|tomo}} is modified by {{tp|telo}} and {{tp|nasa}}. {{tp|tomo pi telo nasa}} means "strange-water room", perhaps "pub", because alcohol is a liquid that makes people strange; {{tp|tomo}} is modified by {{tp|telo nasa}}, wherein {{tp|telo}} is modified by {{tp|nasa}}.}} {{tp|pi}} is a can of worms. Many speakers [[pin't|avoid it]].}} |
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# '''Multiple subjects''' are separated with {{tp|[[en]]}}.<hr style="margin:0.5em 0;" /> |
# '''Multiple subjects''' are separated with {{tp|[[en]]}}.<hr style="margin:0.5em 0;" /> |
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# '''Predicates''' come after all subjects. {{tp|[[li]]}} starts each predicate, with two exceptions: If the subject is only {{tp|mi}} ("I", "we") or only {{tp|sina}} ("you"), {{tp|li}} is dropped. {{Indent|The main word of the predicate can be analyzed as a verb. By this analysis, Toki Pona has dynamic and stative verbs. In the sentence {{tp|mi moku}}, the word {{tp|moku}} can be dynamic, "to eat", or stative, "to be food" (less likely in this case). |
# '''Predicates''' come after all subjects. {{tp|[[li]]}} starts each predicate, with two exceptions: If the subject is only {{tp|mi}} ("I", "we") or only {{tp|sina}} ("you"), {{tp|li}} is dropped. {{Indent|The main word of the predicate can be analyzed as a verb. By this analysis, Toki Pona has dynamic and stative verbs. In the sentence {{tp|mi moku}}, the word {{tp|moku}} can be dynamic, "to eat", or stative, "to be food" (less likely in this case). |
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# '''Yes-or-no [[question]]s''' are formed with "verb {{tp|ala}} verb", or with {{tp|anu seme}} at the end. The main way to answer "yes" is to repeat the verb.{{Indent|Open-ended questions are formed with {{tp|[[seme]]}}.}} |
# '''Yes-or-no [[question]]s''' are formed with "verb {{tp|ala}} verb", or with {{tp|anu seme}} at the end. The main way to answer "yes" is to repeat the verb.{{Indent|Open-ended questions are formed with {{tp|[[seme]]}}.}} |
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# '''Commands''' use {{tp|[[o]]}} in place of {{tp|li}}. If the subject is only {{tp|sina}}, that subject can be dropped. |
# '''Commands''' use {{tp|[[o]]}} in place of {{tp|li}}. If the subject is only {{tp|sina}}, that subject can be dropped. |