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 is a subject marker particle, similar to how li and e are predicate and direct object) marker particles, respectively. However, with en, the first subject is always unmarked, thus it only appears between multiple 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.
History
Historical use
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":[1]
"en" divided between modifiers = and
- 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
- 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.[2]
Current use
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:[1]
"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.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lang, Sonja (27 October 2002). The words "en", "kin", and "kan". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ↑ Knight, Bryant (jan Pije). Lesson 5. Archived from the original in 21 August 2009. lipu pi jan Pije. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ↑ tokipona@yahoogroups.com (1 November 2002). Poll results for tokipona. Toki Pona Forums.
External links
Resources
- Toki Pona: The Language of Good: Lesson 16
- jan Lentan: Lesson 5
- soweli Tesa: Lesson 19