en: Difference between revisions

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===Historical usage===

Originally, [[en]] separated multiple modifiers that all applied to a single noun.<ref name="lesson5">{{cite web|author=Sonja Lang|title=Original lesson 5|date=c. 2001|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821024459/http://bknight0.myweb.uga.edu/toki/about/lesson/tp5.html|website=jan Pije's site|urldate=2024-01-13}}</ref>

The function of the particle {{tp|en}} has changed throughout the development of Toki Pona. [[Sonja Lang]] first defined it as such in a forum post from 2002, in the section called "Early Toki Pona":<ref name="lang2002">{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?t=81|title=The words "en", "kin", and "kan"|website=Toki Pona Forums|author=Sonja Lang|date=2002-10-27|access-date=2023-10-10}}</ref>

"{{tok|en}}" divided between modifiers = and

{{Indent|1={{tok|jan pona en suli}} = good and tall person}}

There was no clear way to divide between head nouns. "en" needed to

be repeated to divide between multiple main nouns, which was clumsy

at times

{{Indent|1={{tok|en kon lete en suno}} = the north wind and the sun}}

(because "kon lete en suno" would have meant "cold and sunny air")

</blockquote>

In the original documentation, {{tp|en}} is used both to separate modifiers and to seperate the nouns of a subject. This use was also documented in the original toki pona lessons by {{tok|[[jan Pije]]}}.<ref name="lesson5">{{cite web|url=http://bknight0.myweb.uga.edu/toki/about/lesson/tp5.html|title=Lesson 5|website={{tok|lipu pi jan Pije}}|author=Sonja Lang|archived-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821024459/http://bknight0.myweb.uga.edu/toki/about/lesson/tp5.html|archive-date=2009-08-21|access-date=2023-10-10}}</ref>

{{Example

|sona pona li sona sewi ala. [[iki]] li sona mute en ale.

|sona pona li sona sewi ala. iki li sona mute en ale.

|True intelligence is not to know elite things, but rather to know many things about everything.<ref name="proverbs">{{cite web|title=Toki Pona Proverbs|date=c. 2002-09-02|url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20020902200945/http://www.tokipona.org/lit-prov.php|author=Sonja Lang|website=tokipona.org|urldate=2024-01-13}}</ref>

|sona-pona li sona sewi ala. iki li sona mute en ale

}}

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}}

There was no clear way to divide between subjects,<ref name="forums2002">{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?p=206|title=the words "{{tok|en}}", "{{tok|kin}}" and "{{tok|kan}}"|author={{tok|[[jan Sonja]]}}|username=|date=2002-10-27|website=Toki Pona Forums|publisher=|access-date=2023-12-02|quote=}}</ref> so to accommodate subjects with multiple words Sonja proposed extending [[en]] to mark subjects by going before them.<ref name="corresp">{{cite web|author=Justin B. Rye and Sonja Lang|title=Correspondence|date=2002|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=21|website=forums.tokipona.org|urldate=2024-01-13}}</ref>

There was no clear way to divide between subjects,<ref name="forums2002">{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?p=206|title=the words "{{tok|en}}", "{{tok|kin}}" and "{{tok|kan}}"|author={{tok|[[jan Sonja]]}}|username=|date=2002-10-27|website=Toki Pona Forums|publisher=|access-date=2023-12-02|quote=}}</ref> so to accommodate subjects with multiple words Sonja proposed extending {{tp|en}} to mark subjects by going before them.<ref name="corresp">{{cite web|author=Justin B. Rye and Sonja Lang|title=Correspondence|date=2002|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=21|website=forums.tokipona.org|urldate=2024-01-13}}</ref>

{{Example

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|jan sewi Jawe li tu e suno en pimeja.

|God divided the light from the darkness.<ref name="religtext">{{cite web|title=Religious Texts|author=Sonja Lang|date=2002-09-03|url=https://archive.ph/yuYp1|website=tokipona.org|urldate=2024-01-14}}</ref>

|jan sewi [jan awen wawa ~~epiku~~] li tu e suno en pimeja.

|jan sewi [jan awen wawa en] li tu e suno en pimeja.

}}

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===Modern usage===

~~However, a~~ reform proposed in October 2002 restricted [[en]] to dividing between the subjects of a sentence and no longer dividing modifiers.<ref name="forums2002" /> This reform was accepted unanimously by the online community by 1 November 2002 and became standard usage thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17&p=220|title=Poll results for tokipona|website=Toki Pona Forums|author=tokipona@yahoogroups.com|date=2002-11-01|access-date=2023-10-10}}</ref>

A reform proposed in October 2002 restricted {{tp|en}} to dividing between the subjects of a sentence and no longer dividing modifiers.<ref name="forums2002" /> This reform was accepted unanimously by the online community by 1 November 2002 and became standard usage thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.tokipona.org/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17&p=220|title=Poll results for tokipona|website=Toki Pona Forums|author=tokipona@yahoogroups.com|date=2002-11-01|access-date=2023-10-10}}</ref>

"en" is now used to divide between head nouns. […] There is no longer a way to divide between modifiers. This is no longer necessary. A "tall and good" person is simply a tall "good person" or a good "tall person", as you will.

</blockquote>

==References==