en
  | |
| Pronunciation | /en/ |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Core (99% ↗︎ )2022: Core (98%) |
| Book and era | nimi pu |
| Part of speech | Particle |
| Codepoint | U+F190A |
en is a particle used to introduce multiple subjects to a single sentence. Despite common misconception from learners, the word en does not mean "and", which is instead implied with the repetition of any particle or preposition.
Function
en en introduces a new subject, similarly to how the particles li and e introduce a predicate and direct object, respectively. In standard usage, it chiefly appears in between subjects.
mi en sina li pali e panmi en sina li pali e pan
I and you bake bread.
jan en soweli li tawa lon ma kasijan en soweli li tawa lon ma kasi
Someone is walking their dog in the woods.
Definitions
pu
In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines en as:
PARTICLE (between multiple subjects)
ku
For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as en:[1]
and3, plus3
sitelen pona
The sitelen pona glyph for en () is a symmetrical cardinal cross representing the plus sign (+) and addition, as in adding another subject.
History
Historical usage
The function of the particle 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":[2]
"en" divided between modifiers = and
jan pona en suli = good and tall personThere 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
en kon lete en suno = the north wind and the sun(because "kon lete en suno" would have meant "cold and sunny air")
In the original documentation, 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 jan Pije.[3]
Current usage
In 2002, Lang also proposed the following reforms, restricing en to the subject of the sentence, as well as establishing the use of kin and removing kan:[2]
"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.
This reform was accepted unanimously by the online community by 1 November 2002.[4]
References
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 205.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sonja Lang. (27 October 2002). "The words "en", "kin", and "kan"". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ↑ Sonja Lang. "Lesson 5". lipu pi jan Pije. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ↑ tokipona@yahoogroups.com. (1 November 2002). "Poll results for tokipona". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
Further reading
Resources
- Toki Pona: The Language of Good: Lesson 16
- jan Lentan: Lesson 5
- soweli Tesa: Lesson 19
Resources for historical usage
- jan Sonja (2002): Lesson 5
Dictionaries
- "en" on lipu Linku
- "en" on lipu Wikipesija
- "en" on English Wiktionary