la

	la
Pronunciation	/la/;
Usage	2024: Core (100% → )2023: Core (100% → )2022: Core (100%)
Book and era	nimi pu
Part of speech	Particle
Codepoint	󱤡 U+F1921

la is a particle used to separate context from the main clause of a sentence. The part before la can range from a single content word, to a phrase, to another clause (essentially another full sentence structure).

Etymology edit

The word la is allegedly derived from Esperanto la ("the"),^[1] itself from Romance la ("the"), ultimately from Latin ille ("that, those, the").^[a] Another suggested etymology is Acadian French -la, a proximal and topical suffix.^{[citation needed…]}

Functions edit

la indicates that what comes after it follows from or depends on what came before. It is extremely general, and can indicate all sorts of antecedent–consequent relationships, including prepositional descriptions, cause and effect, conditions, or where, when, or how something happens. Generally, what comes before la is the context for what comes after.

Fronting prepositional phrases edit

la can be used to put a prepositional phrase at the front of a sentence.

ona li pana e toki-pona tawa kulupu kepeken toki ni

ona li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu kepeken toki ni.

She gave Toki Pona to the community with these words.

kepeken toki ni la ona li pana e toki-pona tawa kulupu

kepeken toki ni la ona li pana e toki pona tawa kulupu.

With these words she gave Toki Pona to the community.

Interaction with lon edit

When its phrase is fronted, the preposition lon is most frequently dropped. In this usage, la and lon can be thought of as rough counterparts, even though they have different grammar and semantics.

mi moku e kili lon tenpo-ni

mi moku e kili lon tenpo ni.

I'm eating a fruit at this time (now).

tenpo-ni la mi moku e kili

tenpo ni la mi moku e kili.

As for this time (now) I'm eating fruit.

lon can be added back into the start of the context phrase, and other fronted prepositions can get dropped, depending on the speaker.

Sometimes, lon is simultaneously used as a preposition and a verb. In this case, lon is retained in the main predicate:

jan-mute li lon ma-ni

jan mute li lon ma ni.

Lots of people are here.

ma-ni la jan-mute li lon

ma ni la jan mute li lon.

Around here there are lots of people.

Cause and effect edit

la can show cause and effect. The part before the la is taken to bring about, or be the condition for, what comes after the particle.

ilo li mu lami lukin e ona

ilo li mu la mi lukin e ona.

My phone rang, so I checked it.
When my phone rings, I check it.
If my phone rings, I will check it.

Definitions edit

pu edit

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

PARTICLE (between the context phrase and the main sentence)

ku edit

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as la:^[2]

if⁵, while³, depending³, regarding², than²

Punctuation edit

Commas are optional in Toki Pona, and they can be placed before or after la. In the Toki Pona Dictionary, Sonja Lang states that it is a "stylistic choice".^[3] In this article, all commas are omitted in Toki Pona text.

sitelen pona edit

The sitelen pona glyph for la (󱤡) is shaped like a closing parenthesis, often used to delimit the markers of an ordered list, or paired as a set of parentheses to provide extra detail on the surrounding text. The list usage can be replicated in sitelen pona to a degree:

nanpa wan la o ijo

nanpa tu la o ijo

nanpa mute la o ijo

sitelen sitelen edit

The sitelen sitelen glyph for la (la) can act in 2 ways. When referring to only a phrase, it can act as a container for the phrase. When referring to a complete sentence, it acts more like a punctuation, nestled below or on the right of the sentence before it.

Like with any monosyllabic word, la can be written with its syllable glyph (LA) although this is uncommon with la due to its use as a particle.

Domain names edit

The top-level domain .la, officially used by Laos, is popularly used in the Toki Pona community for websites with Toki Pona content.

Notes edit

↑ As speculation, perhaps this suggests an early historical usage where la was an article that could start a clause, then underwent semantic bleaching, was adapted into a clause separator, and was dropped where not serving this use. Regardless, in known and current usage, la has no semantic value, and its position can also be interpreted as the end of the preceding clause (hence the differing punctuation styles).

References edit

↑ "Word Origins". tokipona.org. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002.
↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 261.
↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 9.

la

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