nimi sin: Difference between revisions

	samu
Pronunciation	/ˈsa.mu/;
Usage	2023: Not notable (1% ↘︎ ) Most speakers don't understand this word.2022: Obscure (3%)
Book and era	nimi ku lili (post-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

	nimisin
Pronunciation	/ˈni.mi.sin/;
Usage	2023: Uncommon (35% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Rare (13%)
Book and era	No book (post-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

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Revision as of 03:59, 14 May 2024

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.

nimi sin (lit. 'new word(s)') are extra words in Toki Pona, especially those created or promoted by the speaking community. They can be a contentious topic among Tokiponists; see § Reception.

Many speakers^[who?] warn against learners using or creating nimi sin too early, as one should be able to fall back on the core vocabulary before trying to fill in perceived gaps. Excessive usage of nimi sin can make communication more difficult, as many nimi sin are obscure or go unused in practice, and will not be understood by most speakers.

Terminology

There are various different related terms used to refer to these extra words, with different shades of meaning.

nimi sin is the term most commonly used in the Toki Pona community. As it means "new words", it is most literally used for words that were coined after the publication of the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good (lipu pu). However, it is also applied to revived words from before pu; while this is considered a misnomer, the term has stuck. Some people use the compound word nimisin instead, especially when talking about the topic in English.
nimi namako (lit. 'additional words') is also fairly commonly used, especially if people want to include revived pre-pu words, such as majuna and pake.^{[citation needed]} (For other uses, see nimi namako.)
Neologism (from the Ancient Greek for "new word") is a linguistic term for a (relatively) recently coined word or term, especially one that is becoming accepted into mainstream language.

The terms non-pu words and nimi pi pu ala refer specifically to words that are not pu words (the words included in Toki Pona: The Language of Good). Likewise, non-ku words or nimi pi ku ala refers to words that are not among the "ku words" mentioned in Toki Pona Dictionary.

Purposes

On ma pona pi toki pona, joke nimi sin are often introduced with an edit of the rotating light emoji (🚨) with sitelen pona nimi-sin.

Experimentation with nimi sin is a common form of tinkering with Toki Pona. It can be done with many goals in mind, such as:

Historic and traditional usage: Many nimi sin are traditional words that have continued to be used, or have had revivals, despite their removal (or framing) as of pu. Many nimi ku suli fall under this, such as kin, kipisi, leko, monsuta, namako, and oko.
Personal preference: There is something fun about nimi sin that encourages many speakers to try using and making them. Specific nimi sin may also be coined to describe concepts that are important to the creator, without expecting or wanting others to adopt their nimi sin.
High-frequency concepts: Some nimi sin are coined for common concepts not covered in the base vocabulary. For example, linluwi reflects the amount of Toki Pona usage that takes place online.
Philosophical elaboration: Some nimi sin are created with the expressed purpose of deepening the language's philosophical messages, often by creating words tackling a broadly applicable but precise concept to reveal its presence in everyday life. Additionally, some nimi sin create novel conflations or distinctions between two concepts in order to comment on the concepts themselves or their importance to the language as a whole.
Grammar extensions: Experimental particles can show what Toki Pona might be like with extra grammatical features.
These seem less likely to catch on than nimi sin with their own semantic value. They would make the grammar more complex, and would challenge accepted techniques for building sentences.
Jokes: There are many joke nimi sin. The joke is often that the meaning^[a] or word itself^[b] is unsuited for Toki Pona.
Despite this, some joke words are introduced to enough people to pick up momentum and get used in earnest. This and the subjective nature of humor have generated some resistance to such words.

Notable nimi sin

While relatively few nimi sin have caught on longterm, the Toki Pona Dictionary argues that those that do should be considered "essential words" to the language. As of 2024, no other nimi sin have met the 41% usage threshold of the nimi ku suli, according to the yearly Linku survey.

Reception

It seems that nimi sin became more popular between the publication of pu and ku, as speakers wanted to experiment with diverting from pu-rism. After ku, the speaking community was left to grapple with whether the nimi ku should become permanent fixtures of the language, drawing more criticism of specific nimi ku suli and of nimi sin in general.

nimi sin are contentious due to some speakers viewing Toki Pona's low word count as a fundamental tenet and some using the language as a basis for linguistic experimentation. (However, some speakers combine these goals by experimenting with styles and tokiponidos that use fewer words than usual.) A specific nimi sin may detract from the expressivity of one or more established words, or from an intentional absence of a word for some concept.^[1] See Natural semantic metalanguage for some common gaps.

Whether only specific words or in general, nimi sin may be thought of negatively for various reasons, including a perceived mismatch with Toki Pona's philosophy, grammar, or usage. Owing to this reputation, inventing intentionally bad nonce words is a common source of humor.

The word alente was jokingly coined as "a proposal for a final nimisin" that could be used to shoot down future nimi sin proposals.

Related words

samu

The subject of this section is just for fun. It might not be meant or appropriate for serious use.

samu is a joke word and nimi ku lili relating to the desire to create new words.^[2] It was coined in 2018 as part of a joke by jan Sonja when a user called Madia Samu asked how to contribute words in the main Toki Pona Facebook group .^[3]

The sitelen pona glyph for samu (samu) is derived from the glyph for nimi (nimi) with emitters above. It was designed by nimi Elemenopi in August 2020,^[4] replacing his previous design which synthesized jan, musi, and lili.^[5]

Notes

↑ Irrelevant to general conversation, too specific, etc.
↑ Unpronounceable, too long, etc.

References

Original text related to this article:

Atawans Guide on How To Make A nimi sin™

↑ jan Sonja, jan Lakuse, et al. (8 April 2024). "Toki Pona: From Personal Art Project to Small World Language". University of Colorado Boulder. tokipona.org (transcript). pp. 12–13, 18, 20–21.
↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 337.

wanting to create new words²
↑ Sonja Lang. (24 March 2018). "How can one contribute new words?". Facebook. Retrieved 8 January 2024. "Did you know about the new word ‘samu’, which means ‘ADJ wanting to create new words’?".
↑ nimi Elemenopi [u/ElemenopiTheSequel]. (15 August 2020). "Here are the official glyphs for the 1b words in the NA". r/OffThePu. Reddit. Retrieved 28 December 2023. "[Key: black] = original, made by me".
↑ nimi Elemenopi [u/ElemenopiTheSequel]. (26 July 2020). "I made a sitelen pona glyph for every non-pu word in the "nimi ale pona" dictionary". r/tokipona. Reddit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Neologisms in Toki Pona}}
-{{tp title}}{{Nonstandard}}
+{{tp title}}
+{{Nonstandard}}
+'''{{tp|nimi sin}}'''{{aside|{{lit|new word(s)}}}} are extra words in [[Toki Pona]], especially those created or promoted by the [[speaking community]]. They can be a contentious topic among [[Tokiponist]]s; see {{sect|#Reception}}.
+Many speakers{{wh|who?}} warn against learners using or creating {{tp|nimi sin}} too early, as one should be able to [[Circumlocution|fall back on the core vocabulary]] before trying to fill in perceived gaps. Excessive usage of {{tp|nimi sin}} can make communication more difficult, as many {{tp|nimi sin}} are obscure or go unused in practice, and will not be understood by most speakers.
+==Terminology==
 {{nimi|nimisin
+| sp  = Sitelen seli kiwen - nimi sin.png
 | PoS = content word
 }}
-'''{{tp|nimi sin}}''' (literally, "new word") are extra words in [[Toki Pona]], especially those created or promoted by the speaking community.
-Many speakers warn against learners using or creating {{tp|nimi sin}} too early, as one should be able to [[Circumlocution|fall back on the core vocabulary]] before trying to fill in perceived gaps. Excessive usage of {{tp|nimi sin}} can make communication more difficult, as many {{tp|nimi sin}} are obscure and will not be understood by most speakers.
-==Terminology==
 There are various different related terms used to refer to these extra words, with different shades of meaning.
-* '''{{tp|nimi sin}}''' is the term most commonly used in the Toki Pona community. As it literally means "new words", it is usually (but not always) used for words that were coined after the publication of the book ''[[Toki Pona: The Language of Good]]''. Some people use the compound word '''nimisin''' instead, especially when talking about the topic in English.
+* '''{{tp|[[nimi]] [[sin]]}}''' is the term most commonly used in the Toki Pona community. As it means "new words", it is most literally used for words that were coined after the publication of the book {{pu|en}} ({{tp|lipu pu}}). However, it is also applied to revived words from before {{tp|pu}}; while this is considered a misnomer, the term has stuck. Some people use the compound word '''{{tp|nimisin}}''' instead, especially when talking about the topic in English.
+* '''{{tp|nimi [[namako]]}}''' ({{lit|additional words}}) is also fairly commonly used, especially if people want to include revived pre-{{tp|pu}} words, such as {{tp|[[majuna]]}} and {{tp|[[pake]]}}.{{citation needed}} (For other uses, see {{tp|[[nimi namako]]}}.)
+* '''{{w|Neologism}}''' (from the {{w|Ancient Greek}} for "new word") is a linguistic term for a (relatively) recently coined word or term, especially one that is becoming accepted into mainstream language.
+The terms '''non-{{tp|pu}} words''' and '''{{tp|nimi pi pu ala}}''' refer specifically to words that are not [[nimi pu|{{tp|pu}} words]] (the words included in ''[[Toki Pona: The Language of Good]]''). Likewise, '''non-{{tp|[[ku]]}} words''' or '''{{tp|nimi pi ku ala}}''' refers to words that are not among the "[[nimi ku|{{tp|ku}} words]]" mentioned in ''[[Toki Pona Dictionary]]''.
-* '''{{tp|nimi namako}}''' (literally, "additional, spicy, ornamental words") is also fairly commonly used, especially if people want to include old words predating {{pu}}, such as {{tp|[[majuna]]}} and {{tp|[[pake]]}}.
-* '''{{wp|Neologism}}''' (from the Ancient Greek for "new word") is a linguistic term for a (relatively) recently coined word or term, especially one that is becoming accepted into mainstream language.
-The terms '''non-pu words''' and '''{{tp|nimi pi pu ala}}''' refer specifically to words that are not [[nimi pu|pu words]] (the 120~124 words included in ''[[Toki Pona: The Language of Good]]''). Likewise, '''non-[[ku]] words''' or '''{{tp|nimi pi ku ala}}''' refers to words that are not among the "[[nimi ku|ku words]]" that are mentioned in ''[[Toki Pona Dictionary]]''.
 ==Purposes==
+[[File:nimisin emoji.png|thumb|On {{tp|[[ma pona pi toki pona]]}}, joke {{tp|nimi sin}} are often introduced with an edit of the rotating light emoji (🚨) with {{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}} {{sp|nimi-sin}}.]]
 Experimentation with {{tp|nimi sin}} is a common form of tinkering with Toki Pona. It can be done with many goals in mind, such as:
-* '''Historic and traditional usage''': Many {{tp|nimi sin}} are traditional words that have continued to be used, or have had revivals, despite their removal (or [[Synonyms|framing]]) as of {{tp|pu}}. Many {{tp|[[nimi ku suli]]}} fall under this, like {{tp|kin}}, {{tp|kipisi}}, {{tp|leko}}, {{tp|monsuta}}, {{tp|namako}}, and {{tp|oko}}. {{Indent|It is discouraged to use completely deprecated historical words for the sake of it. Examples include {{tp|iki}} or {{tp|ipi}} instead of {{tp|ona}}, and {{tp|pasila}}<ref group="lower-alpha">Deprecated before the first version of Toki Pona was shared in 2001. Not to be confused with {{tp|palisa}}.</ref> instead of {{tp|pona}} or {{tp|pali lili}}.<ref group="lower-alpha">Perhaps deprecated words could be used in fiction for an archaic dialect, though.</ref>}}
+* '''Historic and traditional usage''': Many {{tp|nimi sin}} are traditional words that have continued to be used, or have had revivals, despite their removal (or [[Synonyms|framing]]) as of {{tp|pu}}. Many {{tp|[[nimi ku suli]]}} fall under this, such as {{tp|[[kin]]}}, {{tp|[[kipisi]]}}, {{tp|[[leko]]}}, {{tp|[[monsuta]]}}, {{tp|[[namako]]}}, and {{tp|[[oko]]}}.
 * '''Personal preference''': There is something fun about {{tp|nimi sin}} that encourages many speakers to try using and making them. Specific {{tp|nimi sin}} may also be coined to describe concepts that are important to the creator, without expecting or wanting others to adopt their {{tp|nimi sin}}.
-* '''High-frequency concepts''': Some {{tp|nimi sin}} are coined for common concepts that aren't covered in the base vocabulary. For example, {{tp|linluwi}} reflects the amount of Toki Pona usage that takes place online.
+* '''High-frequency concepts''': Some {{tp|nimi sin}} are coined for common concepts not covered in the base vocabulary. For example, {{tp|[[linluwi]]}} reflects the amount of Toki Pona usage that takes place online.
-* '''Philosophical elaboration''': Some ''nimi sin'' are created with the expressed purpose of deepening the language's philosophical messages, often by creating words tackling a broadly applicable but precise concept to reveal its presence in everyday life. Additionally, some ''nimi sin'' create novel conflations or distinctions between two concepts in order to comment on the concepts themselves or their importance to the language as a whole.
+* '''Philosophical elaboration''': Some {{tp|nimi sin}} are created with the expressed purpose of deepening the language's [[philosophical]] messages, often by creating words tackling a broadly applicable but precise concept to reveal its presence in everyday life. Additionally, some {{tp|nimi sin}} create novel conflations or distinctions between two concepts in order to comment on the concepts themselves or their importance to the language as a whole.
 * '''Grammar extensions''': Experimental [[particle]]s can show what Toki Pona might be like with extra grammatical features. {{Indent|These seem less likely to catch on than {{tp|nimi sin}} with their own [[semantic (value)|semantic value]]. They would make the grammar more complex, and would challenge accepted techniques for building sentences.}}
-* '''Jokes''': There are many joke {{tp|nimi sin}}. The joke is often that the meaning<ref group="lower-alpha">Irrelevant to general conversation, too specific, etc.</ref> or word itself<ref group="lower-alpha">Unpronounceable, too long, etc.</ref> is unsuited for Toki Pona. {{Indent|Despite this, some joke words are introduced to enough people to pick up momentum and get used in earnest. This and the subjective nature of humor have generated resistance.}}
+* '''Jokes''': There are many [[Joke words|joke {{tp|nimi sin}}]]. The [[joke]] is often that the meaning<ref group="lower-alpha">Irrelevant to general conversation, too specific, etc.</ref> or word itself<ref group="lower-alpha">Unpronounceable, too long, etc.</ref> is unsuited for Toki Pona. {{Indent|Despite this, some joke words are introduced to enough people to pick up momentum and get used in earnest. This and the subjective nature of humor have generated some resistance to such words.}}
+==Notable {{tp|nimi sin}}==
-==Public opinion==
+While relatively few {{tp|nimi sin}} have caught on longterm, the ''Toki Pona Dictionary'' argues that those that do should be considered "essential words" to the language. As of 2024, no other {{tp|nimi sin}} have met the 41% usage threshold of the {{tp|[[nimi ku suli]]}}, according to the yearly [[Usage surveys|{{tok|Linku}} survey]].
+==Reception==
 It seems that {{tp|nimi sin}} became more popular between the publication of {{tp|pu}} and {{tp|ku}}, as speakers wanted to experiment with diverting from [[pu-rism|{{tp|pu}}-rism]]. After {{tp|ku}}, the speaking community was left to grapple with whether the {{tp|nimi ku}} should become permanent fixtures of the language, drawing more criticism of specific {{tp|nimi ku suli}} and of {{tp|nimi sin}} in general.
+{{tp|nimi sin}} are contentious due to some speakers viewing Toki Pona's low word count as a fundamental tenet and some using the language as a basis for linguistic experimentation. (However, some speakers combine these goals by experimenting with [[style]]s and [[tokiponido]]s that use fewer words than usual.) A specific {{tp|nimi sin}} may detract from the expressivity of one or more established words, or from an [[Philosophy|intentional absence]] of a word for some concept.<ref>{{cite roundtable|page=12&ndash;13, 18, 20&ndash;21}}</ref> See [[Natural semantic metalanguage]] for some common gaps.
-The word {{tp|[[alente]]}} was jokingly coined as "a proposal for a final {{tok|nimisin}}" that could be used to shoot down future {{tp|nimi sin}} proposals.
-==Notable {{tp|nimi sin}}==
+{{Anchor|Bad nimi sin}}
+Whether only specific words or in general, {{tp|nimi sin}} may be thought of negatively for various reasons, including a perceived mismatch with Toki Pona's [[philosophy]], [[grammar]], or usage. Owing to this reputation, inventing [[Joke words|intentionally bad]] [[nonce word]]s is a common source of humor.
-While relatively few {{tp|nimi sin}} have caught on longterm, ''Toki Pona Dictionary'' argues that those that do should be considered "essential words" to the language<ref group="lower-alpha">The ''Toki Pona Dictionary'' does tacitly exclude {{tp|yupekosi}}, however.</ref>. As of November 2023, no other {{tp|nimi sin}} have met the 41% usage threshold of the {{tp|[[nimi ku suli]]}}, according to yearly [[ijo Linku#Word usage surveys|{{tok|Linku}} survey]].
+The word {{tp|[[alente]]}} was jokingly coined as "a proposal for a final {{tok|nimisin}}" that could be used to shoot down future {{tp|nimi sin}} proposals.
 ==Related words==
 ==={{tp|samu}}===
-{{Fun|section}}
+{{Start section|Fun}}
 {{nimi|samu
 | PoS = content word
 }}
-'''{{tp|samu}}''' is a [[joke word]] and {{tp|[[nimi ku lili]]}} relating to the desire to create new words.<ref>{{cite ku|337}}{{ku data|samu}}</ref> It was coined by {{tok|[[jan Sonja]]}} and was named after {{tok|jan Samu}}, a {{w|Facebook}} user who attempted to propose a new word.{{citation needed}}
+'''{{tp|samu}}''' is a [[joke word]] and {{tp|[[nimi ku lili]]}} relating to the desire to create new words.<ref>{{cite ku|337}}{{ku data|samu}}</ref> It was coined in 2018 as part of a joke by {{tok|[[jan Sonja]]}} when a user called Madia Samu asked how to contribute words in the main Toki Pona {{w|Facebook}} group .<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/sitelen/posts/1698758320178546/?comment_id=1699054290148949|title=How can one contribute new words?|author=Sonja Lang|date=2018-03-24|website=Facebook|access-date=2024-01-08|quote=Did you know about the new word ‘samu’, which means ‘ADJ wanting to create new words’?}}</ref>
-The {{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}} glyph for {{tp|samu}} ({{sp|samu}}) is derived from the glyph for {{tp|[[nimi]]}} ({{sp|nimi}}), with [[emitters]]. It was designed by {{tok|nimi Elemenopi}} in August 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=//reddit.com/r/OffThePu/comments/iahhtc/here_are_the_official_glyphs_for_the_1b_words_in|title=Here are the official glyphs for the 1b words in the {{tok|{{abbr|NA|nimi ale (pona)}}}}|author={{tok|nimi Elemenopi}}|username=u/ElemenopiTheSequel|date=2020-08-15|website=[[r/OffThePu|r/OffThe{{tok|Pu}}]]|publisher=Reddit|access-date=2023-12-28|quote=[Key: black] = original, made by me}}</ref> replacing his previous design which synthesized {{tp|jan}}, {{tp|musi}}, and {{tp|lili}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=//reddit.com/r/tokipona/comments/hxzvew/i_made_a_sitelen_pona_glyph_for_every_nonpu_word|title=I made a {{tok|sitelen pona}} glyph for every non-{{tok|pu}} word in the "{{tok|nimi ale pona}}" dictionary|author={{tok|nimi Elemenopi}}|username=u/ElemenopiTheSequel|date=2020-07-26|website=[[r/tokipona]]|publisher=Reddit|access-date=2023-12-28|quote=}}</ref>
+The {{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}} glyph for {{tp|samu}} ({{sp|samu}}) is derived from the glyph for {{tp|[[nimi]]}} ({{sp|nimi}}) with [[emitters]] above. It was designed by {{tok|nimi Elemenopi}} in August 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=//reddit.com/r/OffThePu/comments/iahhtc/here_are_the_official_glyphs_for_the_1b_words_in|title=Here are the official glyphs for the 1b words in the {{tok|{{abbr|NA|nimi ale (pona)}}}}|author={{tok|nimi Elemenopi}}|username=u/ElemenopiTheSequel|date=2020-08-15|website=[[r/OffThePu|r/OffThe{{tok|Pu}}]]|publisher=Reddit|access-date=2023-12-28|quote=[Key: black] = original, made by me}}</ref> replacing his previous design which synthesized {{tp|jan}}, {{tp|musi}}, and {{tp|lili}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=//reddit.com/r/tokipona/comments/hxzvew/i_made_a_sitelen_pona_glyph_for_every_nonpu_word|title=I made a {{tok|sitelen pona}} glyph for every non-{{tok|pu}} word in the "{{tok|nimi ale pona}}" dictionary|author={{tok|nimi Elemenopi}}|username=u/ElemenopiTheSequel|date=2020-07-26|website=[[r/tokipona]]|publisher=Reddit|access-date=2023-12-28|quote=}}</ref>
-==See also==
+{{Clear}}
-* [[Atawans Guide on How To Make A nimi sin™]]
+{{End section}}
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 53: / Line 61: @@
 ==References==
+{{Source|Atawans Guide on How To Make A nimi sin™|Atawans Guide on How To Make A {{tok|nimi sin}}™}}
 <references/>

Words
Parts of speech	Content words (Roles · Prepositions · Preverbs · Names · Numbers) · Particles (Semiparticles) · Interjections
Usage	Book presence (nimi pu · nimi ku) · Eras (pre-pu · post-pu · post-ku) · Usage categories · nimi sin · Synonyms · Reserved words · Place and language names
Core words	a · akesi · ala · alasa · ale / ali · anpa · ante · anu · awen · e · en · esun · ijo · ike · ilo · insa · jaki · jan · jelo · jo · kala · kalama · kama · kasi · ken · kepeken · kili · kiwen · ko · kon · kule · kulupu · kute · la · lape · laso · lawa · len · lete · li · lili · linja · lipu · loje · lon · luka · lukin · lupa · ma · mama · mani · mi · moku · moli · monsi · mu · mun · musi · mute · nanpa · nasa · nasin · nena · ni · nimi · noka · o · olin · ona · open · pakala · pali · palisa · pan · pana · pi · pilin · pimeja · pini · pipi · poka · poki · pona · pu · sama · seli · selo · seme · sewi · sijelo · sike · sin · sina · sinpin · sitelen · sona · soweli · suli · suno · supa · suwi · tan · taso · tawa · telo · tenpo · toki · tomo · tu · unpa · uta · utala · walo · wan · waso · wawa · weka · wile
Common words	kijetesantakalu · kin · kipisi · ku · leko · meli · mije · misikeke · monsuta · n · namako · soko · tonsi
Uncommon words	epiku · jasima · kokosila · lanpan · linluwi · majuna · meso · nimisin · oko
Resources	Dictionaries · Glossary · Cognates · Glosses · Minimal pairs