e
  | |
| Pronunciation | /e/ |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Core (100% → )2022: Core (100%) |
| Book and era | nimi pu |
| Part of speech | Particle |
| Codepoint | U+F1909 |
e is a particle that introduces the target of an action. It is part of the predicate and introduces a direct object.
Function
e marks the verb's direct object, the thing to which the subject of the sentence does the action. A verb with a direct object is called a transitive verb.[1] When the action has more than one target, the particle e introduces each new direct object.
jan li wile alasa e mijan li wile alasa e mi[.][2]
Someone wants to hunt me.
ale li ken lukin e ona, e pona ona, e wawa ona!ale li ken lukin e ona, e pona ona, e wawa ona![3]
Everyone could see them, their goodness, [and] their might!
Definitions
pu
In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines e as:
PARTICLE (before the direct object)
Misconceptions
The biggest confusion around e comes from not knowing what the direct object is. For example, in the sentence below, the direct object is sina, meaning that the subject is talking about someone, instead of to someone. The correct sentence would be mi toki tawa sina.
mi toki e sinami toki e sina.
I talk to you.
I talk about you, I mention you.
sitelen pona
The sitelen pona glyph for e () represents the heads of a double arrow symbol, facing rightwards along the standard writing direction. It is a reduplication of the glyph for li (li).
References
- ↑ See Hopper, Paul J., and Sandra A. Thompson. “Transitivity in Grammar and Discourse.” Language, vol. 56, no. 2, 1980, pp. 251–99. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/413757. Accessed 16 Jan. 2024.
- ↑ jan Lakuse, "luka waso pi nena taso" (2023) utala pona http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/toki-lili.html#luka-waso-pi-nena-taso
- ↑ mun Kekan San, "jan mun" (2023) utala pona http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/lipu-suli/jan-mun.html#sitelen-Lasina
Further reading
Resources
- Toki Pona: The Language of Good: Lesson 5
- jan Kekan San: Objects with e
- jan Lentan: Lesson 3
- jan Misali: objects (toki pona lesson two)
- soweli Tesa: Lesson 4
- nasin toki pona: the particle e
- Jonathan Gabel: Direct Objects
Dictionaries
- "e" on lipu Linku
- "e" on lipu Wikipesija
- "e" on English Wiktionary