pali

pali is a core content word relating to work and activities.

pali
A blacksmith working
Pronunciation	/ˈpa.li/
Usage	2023: Core (100% ↗︎ )2022: Core (99%)
Book and era	nimi pu
Part of speech	Content word
Codepoint	󱥉 U+F1949

Etymology

The word pali is derived from Esperanto fari, meaning "to do, to make".

Semantic space

See also: Creation

The semantic space of pali includes work and activities, effort done to achieve something. It is used to describe the act or instance of creating things, including jobs, projects, and creative works.

mi pali e pan

mi pali e pan.

I make pastries.

Semantic drift from "do" sense

In historical usage and in the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good, the word pali was often used as a generic action verb meaning "to do". This has since become notably less popular, an instance of semantic drift. This drift is sometimes referred to as palin't.

sina pali e seme

sina pali e seme?

What are you doing? (obsolete usage)
What are you working on? (surviving usage)

Many speakers nowadays prefer more direct constructions with a causative predicate construction, in the form X li Y e Z.

ona li pali e ni2 　 mi pona

ona li pali e ni: mi pona.

They do this: I am good. (obsolete usage)

ona li pona e mi

ona li pona e mi.

They make me good. (modern usage)

pu

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

VERB  to do, take action on, work on; build, make, prepare

ku

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

work⁵81–100% of respondents, do⁵81–100% of respondents, construct⁵81–100% of respondents, make⁵81–100% of respondents, produce⁵81–100% of respondents, activity⁵81–100% of respondents, job⁵81–100% of respondents, build⁵81–100% of respondents, production⁵81–100% of respondents, labour⁵81–100% of respondents, working⁵81–100% of respondents, action⁵81–100% of respondents, task⁵81–100% of respondents, create⁵81–100% of respondents, function⁵81–100% of respondents, occupation⁵81–100% of respondents, operating⁴61–80% of respondents, project⁴61–80% of respondents, execute⁴61–80% of respondents, craft⁴61–80% of respondents, manufacturing⁴61–80% of respondents, develop³41–60% of respondents, generate³41–60% of respondents, compose³41–60% of respondents, assemble³41–60% of respondents, act³41–60% of respondents, profession³41–60% of respondents, assignment³41–60% of respondents, commit³41–60% of respondents, perform³41–60% of respondents, enact³41–60% of respondents, operation³41–60% of respondents, creation³41–60% of respondents, effort³41–60% of respondents, service³41–60% of respondents, accomplish³41–60% of respondents, implement³41–60% of respondents, operate³41–60% of respondents, implementation³41–60% of respondents, behaviour³41–60% of respondents, processing³41–60% of respondents, behave³41–60% of respondents, career³41–60% of respondents, actively²21–40% of respondents, employment²21–40% of respondents, practice²21–40% of respondents, development²21–40% of respondents, execution²21–40% of respondents, invent²21–40% of respondents, industry²21–40% of respondents, role²21–40% of respondents, procedure²21–40% of respondents, functional²21–40% of respondents, construction²21–40% of respondents, achieve²21–40% of respondents, prepare²21–40% of respondents, interact²21–40% of respondents, undergo²21–40% of respondents, accomplishment²21–40% of respondents, undertake²21–40% of respondents, busy²21–40% of respondents, behavioural²21–40% of respondents, productive²21–40% of respondents, industrial²21–40% of respondents, plan²21–40% of respondents, participation²21–40% of respondents, manipulate²21–40% of respondents

sitelen pona

The sitelen pona glyph for pali (󱥉) is derived from a circle above a hand radical, representing a generic action. These may be drawn either connected or separated. The glyph could possibly be confused with a stacked glyph for luka ijo, however, that construction is unlikely.

sitelen sitelen

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Further reading

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