User:JPeton
Page Goals
I'd like to work on a "words-first" approach to Toki Pona grammar.
Particles
The particles should each be fully specified.
Prepositions
There should be a page for each of the prepositions.
Pre-predicates
There should be a page for each of the pre-predicates (aka preverbs).
Clarity of Writing
The encyclopedia should be concise, accurate, and easy to understand.
Editing Principles
Assumptions
1. Toki Pona is a really existing language. 2. The "system" of a really existing language is defined based on the really existing speech and writing acts of that language's users. 3. sona pona seeks to document the language Toki Pona as it is used today and has developed up to this point.
Therefore, 4. The way people know that this lipu pi sona pona li pona is by seeing that it explicitly bases itself on definite community usage.
Examples
I believe that it follows from the above that all examples should be sourced from outside the wiki: the encyclopedists should not invent their own examples for the articles. Since the examples are didactic aides to the presentation, they must be chosen judiciously; but if an example cannot be found to suit, then I do not think it appropriate to invent one: that absence signifies to me that the subject of exposition is not in fact part of the language, but only part of the hypothetical system being presented.
The gold standard here is La Plena Manlibro de Esperanta Gramatiko, by Bertilo Wennergren.[1]
Challenges
Sources
Ordinarily it isn't appropriate for an encyclopedia to feature original research into primary source archives, but this is a special case where the history of scholarship is too short to permit the luxury of standard authorities. Despite the general prohibition against it in encyclopedias, here we sometimes have to cite primary sources and do original research.