kalama

Core Toki Pona content word

kalama is a core content word relating to sounds.

kalama in sitelen pona
kalama in sitelen sitelen
Pronunciation /ˈka.la.ma/
Usage 2023: Core (100% ↗︎ )2022: Core (99%)
Book and era nimi pu
Part of speech Content word
Codepoint 󱤕 U+F1915

Etymology Edit

The word kalama is derived from Croatian galama, meaning "noise".[1]

Semantic space Edit

The semantic space of kalama includes noises and sounds.[2] In the predicate, it refers to producing a noise. According the monsutatesu, the word kalama can have two opposite definitions when used transitively: "to make the sound (of something)" and "to make (someone) make sound". This was first noted by ike Pike sometime before 2021.[3]

pu Edit

In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines kalama as:

VERB  to produce a sound; recite, utter aloud

ku Edit

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as kalama:[4]

sound5, noise4, tone3, bang2

sitelen pona Edit

The sitelen pona glyph for kalama (󱤕) is the open mouth radical, from uta, with emitters above. This represents a mouth producing or emitting sound.

sitelen sitelen Edit

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References Edit

  1. Word Origins. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Toki Pona.
  2. lipamanka. "toki pona dictionary". lipamanka.gay.
  3. kala pona Tonyu. (29 January 2021). "monsutatesu". lipu kule.
  4. Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 235.

Further reading Edit