monsuta

monsuta
Pronunciation	/ˈmon.su.ta/
Usage	2023: Common44-category system, Widespread66-category system (83% ↘︎ )2022: Widespread (85%)
Book and era	nimi ku suli (pre-pu)
Part of speech	Content word
Codepoint	󱥽 U+F197D

monsuta is a pre-pu content word and nimi ku suli related to monsters, scariness, and fear.

Etymology

The word monsuta is derived from Japanese モンスター (monsutā), itself from English monster. It was coined by jan Sonja in 2009, but it was abandoned shortly after.^{[citation needed]}This claim needs references to reliable sources.

The word always saw some use among a minority of speakers. However, for a long time the word monsuta was underused and not well defined. This changed in the late 2010s and early 2020s, when the word became popular and certain trends emerged among its users.

Semantic space

In 2010, the official Toki Pona wiki defined monsuta as:

1. creature that preys on humans; predator
2. a real or imagined threat; danger
3. a source of fear or dread

In modern usage, the word is used literally to mean "monster", as well as figuratively for "something scary, something that causes fear, something dangerous". The word is commonly used as a modifier to mean "scary, frightening, creepy, spooky" or "monstrous, monster-like". The word "fear" is included inside monsuta's semantic space. However, it is more commonly expressed as pilin monsuta ("scary feeling").

monsuta li lon anpa supa　

monsuta li lon anpa supa.

There's a monster under the bed.

sina kute ala kute e kalama monsuta?

sina kute ala kute e kalama monsuta?

Do you hear a scary noise?

ku

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as monsuta:

scary³41–60% of respondents, fear³41–60% of respondents, monster³41–60% of respondents, horror³41–60% of respondents, scare²21–40% of respondents, disturbing²21–40% of respondents, terror²21–40% of respondents, beast²21–40% of respondents, afraid²21–40% of respondents, demon²21–40% of respondents

Transitive use of monsuta

Main article: monsutatesu

The transitive use of monsuta remains unclear. Depending on the speaker, it can mean "to turn into a monster; to scare" or "to fear". Several pepole support multiple of these interpretations, where the specific meaning depends on context. The fact that transitive monsuta can be analyzed to have two opposite meanings has inspired the monsutatesu analysis of Toki Pona.

Note that the meanings of "to scare" and "to fear" can also be expressed without using transitive monsuta. The sentence "I fear bugs" or "bugs scare me" can be translated in various ways:

pipi li monsuta tawa mi　

pipi li monsuta tawa mi.

Bugs are scary to me.

mi pilin monsuta tawa pipi　

mi pilin monsuta tawa pipi.

I am scared towards bugs.

mi pilin monsuta tan pipi　

mi pilin monsuta tan pipi.

I am scared because of bugs.

pipi li pana e pilin monsuta tawa mi　

pipi li pana e pilin monsuta tawa mi.

Bugs give me fear.

pipi li kama e pilin monsuta lon mi　

pipi li kama e pilin monsuta lon mi.

Bugs make fear emerge in me.

Some people would alternatively express "bugs scare me" as "pipi li pilin monsuta e mi". Other people find this confusing, and would recommend using this sentence primarily for meanings like "bugs touch me in a scary way". Both interpretations exist, and in many cases context can help clarify which meaning is meant.

sitelen pona

The sitelen pona glyph for monsuta (󱥽) represents a mouth, jagged or with sharp teeth. It was designed by jan Same, a contributor to linja pona, in 2016. It originally featured a circle surrounding it, but it was later changed after feedback from user jan Tepan Neta Pelin, due to it being confused for a compound with ijo. In version 2 of linja pona, the glyph for monsuta was changed to be sharper.

Further reading

• "monsuta" on lipu Linku
• "monsuta" on lipu Wikipesija
• "monsuta" on English Wiktionary