kon sin

The subject of this article is nonstandard and will not be understood by most speakers.

If you are a learner, this information will not help you speak the language. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the standard style, and to be informed and selective about which nonstandard styles you adopt.

kon sin are new meanings attached to existing Toki Pona words or phrases to expand their semantic space. They are contrasted with nimi sin as another way to expand the expressive range of Toki Pona's vocabulary.

Unlike a calque, a kon sin is related to the core meaning of the phrase, but focuses or expands on an unusual part of that meaning. Of course, this is based on the usual usage, which can be somewhat arbitrary and subjective, and some kon sin catch on more widely.

In some cases, the new meaning is hypernymous for the old meaning, such as the extended sense of kule: the core meaning ("color") is one example of the extended meaning (any intrinsic attribute). In other cases, it is a lateral association, such as waso habitually flying, or ku being a descriptivist work.

Within a conversation, speakers often temporarily assign more specific meanings based on established context. These may become reinforced among the participants over time.

kon sin are not necessarily lexicalizations, as alternative phrasings may still be chosen depending on context, and some kon sin are for single words instead of phrases.

Examples

• Animal words: kala for swimming, waso for being airborne; pipi for annoyance
• kule and poki: kule for intrinsic attributes, poki for extrinsic attributes
• mu for various non-animal sounds and onomatopoeia
• Book words: Rarely, pu for "official", ku for "accepted, descriptivist" and su for "fictional, applied"

References

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