anu
pu usage
In Toki Pona: The Language of Good, the word "anu" is defined, but not explained, outside of its role in "anu seme" type questions.
"anu" remains a debatable subject when it comes to it being able to form questions on its own, without the "seme" or the "[predicate] ala [predicate]" format. pu only gives 2 sentences containing "anu" without "anu seme":
mi kute e mije anu meli.
(answers to Lesson 7) as a translation to: "I hear a man or a woman."
wile sona nanpa wan li ni: ale li pona anu ike?
(famous quotations) as a translation to the quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile"
Possible analyses
- While the first use of "anu" is presented as a statement, "anu" might still act as a kind of choice, and could in some way still work as a disguised question
- While the second use of "anu" is presented as a question, it's not clear if "anu" is responsible - or solely responsible - for forming a question. The "wile sona" might do some heavy lifting
- The second use of "anu" is also not a question in the English sentence (although a question format arises out of the reformulation in toki pona)