User:TP-janSa/Prepositions-v2: Difference between revisions

A '''preposition''' is a part of speech in [[Toki Pona]]. They are words that can function as [[Content words|content words]] or serve a grammatical function. They can relate content phrases to the rest of the sentence by marking temporal or spatial relationships, indirect objects, or other relationships. The phrase formed by a preposition and its prepositional object is called a '''prepositional phrase'''.

There are five prepositions in Toki Pona: {{tp|[[kepeken]]}}, {{tp|[[lon]]}}, {{tp|[[sama]]}}, {{tp|[[tan]]}}, and {{tp|[[tawa]]}}.

==Function==

Prepositional phrases can come after the direct object, stand directly after the verb if there is no direct object, or be a predicate all on their own.<ref>{{cite web|author=jan Kekan San|title=Prepositions and Context|url=https://mun.la/sona/preps.html|website=mun.la|access-dare=2023-11-16}}</ref>

{{Example

|mi sitelen e ni <mark>kepeken toki lili</mark>.<ref>{{cite web|author=jan pali pi lipu kule|title=tan suli lipu li seme?|website=lipu kule|url=https://lipukule.org/post/2021/01/24/tan-suli-lipu-li-seme/|urldate=2024-01-16|date=2021-01-24}}</ref>

|I wrote this <mark>by means of few words.</mark>

|mi sitelen e ni <mark>kepeken toki lili </mark>

}}

{{Example

|kala li weka <mark>tan poka ma</mark> li <mark>lon noka telo</mark>.<ref>{{cite web|author=Joshua Edward|title=waso suli|website=lipu sitelen mi|date=2021-04-04|url=https://rumineleon.wordpress.com/lipu-sitelen-mi-pi-toki-pona/|urldate=2024-01-16}}</ref>

|The fish went away <mark>from the shore</mark> and is <mark>in the bottom of the water.</mark>

|kala li weka <mark>tan poka ma </mark> li <mark>lon noka telo </mark>

}}

Like [[preverb|preverbs]], prepositions can be negated with {{tp|[[ala]]}} while being used in their grammatical function.

{{Example

|jan nasin li wile pona e lawa ona <mark>lon ala</mark> poka jan.<ref>{{cite web|title=pilin utala|website=lipu sitelen mi pi toki pona|author=Joshua Edward|url=https://rumineleon.wordpress.com/lipu-sitelen-mi-pi-toki-pona/|urldate=2024-01-16}}</ref>

|A sage wanted to repair their head away from (literally: not next to) people.

|jan nasin li wile pona e lawa ona <mark>lon ala </mark> poka jan

}}

{{Example

|mu sina li ike li <mark>sama ala</mark> mu pi mi ale.<ref>{{cite web|author=ijo tan anpa nanpa|title=mu namako|date=2023|website=utala pona|url=http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/toki-lili.html#mu-namako|urldate=2024-01-16}}</ref>

|Your moo is bad and <mark>unlike</mark> our moo.

|mu sina li ike li <mark>sama ala </mark> mu pi mi ale

}}

The prepositions can also function as [[content words]]. This can lead to ambiguities, where a sentence means two different things depending on whether the word is interpreted as a preposition or a content word.

{{Example

|mi pana e tomo <mark>tawa</mark> sina.<ref>{{cite web|author=Nikita Ayzikovsky|website=Toki Pona Forums|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=32#p68|urldate=2024-01-16|date=2002-05-28|title=every day words}}</ref>

|I give you a house. ({{tp|tawa sina}} is interpreted as a prepositional phrase, describing {{tp|mi pana e tomo}}.) <br>I brought your vehicle. ({{tp|tawa}} and {{tp|sina}} are interpreted as content words, describing {{tp|tomo}}.)

|mi pana e tomo <mark>tawa </mark> sina

}}

==Using multiple prepositions==

More than one preposition can be appended to the sentence. Both prepositional phrases describe the predicate before them.

{{Example

|mi pali e tomo ni lon nena kepeken ilo.

|I built this house on a hill using tools. (The building happened both on a hill and by the use of tools.)

|mi pali e tomo ni lon nena kepeken ilo

}}

{{Example

|ona li pana e kala tawa jan ike tan poki.

|They throw fish towards the bad people from the barrel. (The throwing is towards the bad people and originates from the barrel.)

|ona li pana e kala tawa jan ike tan poki

Since prepositions describe predicates, if the first prepositional phrase is a predicate, additional prepositional phrases will describe the first.

{{Example

|sitelen ni li sama mi sama sina.

|Like you, the drawing is like me.

|sitelen ni li sama mi sama sina

}}

For both prepositions to describe the subject, they must both be predicates, so they must both be marked with {{tp|[[li]]}}.

{{Example

|sitelen ni li sama mi li sama sina.

|This drawing is like me and you.

|sitelen ni li sama mi li sama sina

}}

==Prepositions vs. transitive verbs==

When functioning grammatically, the particle {{tp|[[e]]}} is not used with prepositions. In the sentence {{ona li tawa telo}}, which translates to "They go towards the water," the prepositional phrase is describing the state of the subject. The subject is not directly acting upon something or experiencing a stimulus.

If {{tp|e}} is placed after the preposition, {{tp|tawa}} becomes a content word, no longer functioning grammatically, and {[tp|telo}} is now being directly acted upon by the subject. {{tp|ona li tawa e telo}} translates to "They move the water," or "They apply motion to the water."

For another example:

{{Example

|kasi li <mark>lon</mark> ma ale.

|Plants <mark>exist at</mark> all of the land.<br/>

Plants are everywhere.

|kasi li <mark>lon </mark>ma ale

}}

{{Example

|kasi li <mark>lon e</mark> ma ale.

|Plants <mark>cause</mark> all the land <mark>to exist</mark>.<br/>

Plants <mark>created</mark> the Earth.

|kasi li <mark>lon e </mark>ma ale

}}

{{Example

|tan ma tomo Pape la jan sewi Jawe li tawa e jan tawa ma mute.

|from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.<ref>[https://archive.ph/yuYp1/]Religious Texts translated by Sonja Lang</ref>

|tan ma tomo [palisa anpa pakala esun] la jan sewi [jo ale wile e] li tawa e jan tawa ma mute.

}}

==Placement of prepositions==

Toki Pona's prepositions are often described as being sentence level. They can give more information about a sentence (including its subject, predicate, and direct object if any), or describe the subject if they are themselves a predicate. This is different from English, where prepositions can be used to relate nouns to other nouns. To relate words to other words, rather than full sentences, modification should be used. Unwanted translations can happen if a preposition is used where modification would be preferred.

{{Example

|mi lukin e waso <mark>lon telo</mark>.

|I look at the birds <mark>while in the water</mark>.

|mi lukin e waso <mark>lon telo </mark>

}}

{{Example

|mi lukin e <mark>waso telo</mark>.

|I look at the </mark>birds in the water</mark>.

|mi lukin e <mark>waso telo </mark>

}}

If what is intended to be a prepositional phrase is not placed at the end of a sentence, they will act as content words, most likely modifying what comes before them.

{{Example

|jan Papo li pana <mark>tawa mi</mark> e sona.

|jan Papo gives knowledge <mark>in a way that is moving and me-like</mark>.

|jan [pini awen poki open] li pana <mark>tawa mi </mark> e sona

}}

{{

|poki lon supa li jelo.

|The boxes that are existing and horizontal-surface-related are yellow.

|poki lon supa li jelo

}}

==Table of prepositions==

{|class="wikitable sortable"

!rowspan="2"|Word

!colspan="4"|Sense

|-

!Preposition<br />{{tp|1=<var>prep</var> <span style="opacity:0.5;">ijo</span>}}

!Intransitive preposition<br />{{tp|1=li <var>prep</var> <span style="opacity:0.5;">ijo</span>}}

!Transitive verb<br />{{tp|1=li <var>prep</var> e <span style="opacity:0.5;">ijo</span>}}

!Transitive preposition<br />{{tp|1=li <var>prep</var> <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span> e <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span>}}

|-

!{{tp|[[kepeken]]}}

|using

|to use

|{{partial|align=left|(''controversial'') see {{tp|[[kepeken e]]}}}}

|to make <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span> use <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span>

|-

!{{tp|[[lon]]}}

|at/in/on

|to exist at/in/on

|to create

|to make <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span> be at/in/on <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span>

|-

!{{tp|[[sama]]}}

|like

|to be like

|to make alike

|to liken <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span> to <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span>

|-

!{{tp|[[tan]]}}

|from

|to be/come from

|{{partial|align=left|(''rare'') to blame}}

|to make <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span> be/come from <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span>

|-

!{{tp|[[tawa]]}}

|toward

|to go to

|to move

|to move <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>B</var></span> to <span style="opacity:0.5;"><var>A</var></span>

|}

==References==

<references/>

{{Words}}

[[Category:Parts of speech]]

[[Category:Prepositions| ]]