pije.md

Traditional Toki Pona (_^PIJE)

In his course o kama sona e toki pona, _^PIJE aims to describe Toki Pona as it used to be "traditionally", i.e. before _^SONJA published the official Toki Pona book in 2014. (_^PIJE has revised his course in 2015.)

This page compares _^PIJE's style with _^SONJA's style or my personal interpretation of it ("_^TEPAN"), based on my analysis of Toki Pona as described in the official Toki Pona book.

oko
sewi
kepeken
anpa
lukin sama
ala
ali
tan
kin
namako
pi
seme
li
en
taso
awen, lukin, sona
kule
kute
nanpa
sike
la

oko

_^PIJE uses oko for eye where _^SONJA uses lukin.

	PIJE	SONJA
Something is in my eye.	ijo li lon oko mi.	ijo li lon lukin mi.

sewi

_^PIJE uses _{^{AREA NOUN}}s as _^ADVERBs in order to describe directions.

	PIJE	TEPAN
You look up at the sun.	sina lukin sewi e suno.	mi lukin e suno lon sewi. / sina lukin e sewi e suno.

kepeken

_^PIJE uses kepeken as a _^VERB where _^SONJA uses it as a _^PREPOSITION. (kepeken e can be analyzed as pana e kepeken tawa (to give usage to). This does make sense, but is unnecessarily _^UN-PONA.)

	PIJE	SONJA
I'm using tools.	mi kepeken e ilo.	mi kepeken ilo.

anpa

_^PIJE uses anpa as a _{^{AREA NOUN}} where _^SONJA uses noka.

	PIJE	SONJA
The bug is underneath me.	pipi li lon anpa mi.	pipi li lon noka mi.

lukin sama

_^PIJE uses lukin in a middle voice mood, i.e. in the sense of approximately to be looked at.

	PIJE	TEPAN
He looks like a bug.	ona li lukin sama pipi.	ona li sama pipi tawa lukin.

ala

_^PIJE treats ala as a _^CORRELATIVE.

	PIJE	SONJA
Nothing is dirty.	ala li jaki.	ijo ala li jaki.

ali

_^PIJE uses ali where _^SONJA uses ale.

	PIJE	SONJA
Everybody wants to travel.	jan ali li wile tawa.	jan ale li wile tawa.

tan

_^PIJE uses tan for reason.

	PIJE	TEPAN
I don't know the reason.	mi sona ala e tan.	ni li tan seme? mi sona ala.

kin

_^PIJE uses kin where _^SONJA uses a.

	PIJE	SONJA
I see it indeed.	mi lukin kin e ona.	mi lukin a e ona.

_^PIJE uses kin for also, still.

	PIJE	TEPAN
I went, too!	mi tawa kin!	sama la mi tawa a!
I'm still eating.	mi moku kin.	sin la mi tawa a.

namako

_^PIJE uses namako where _^SONJA uses sin. Additionally, he uses it for spice.

	PIJE	TEPAN
Give me some spice.	o pana e namako tawa mi.	o pana e ko sin tawa mi.

pi

_^PIJE uses pi after li, also before single words. He also uses pi for (talking) about.

	PIJE	TEPAN
This fruit is mine.	kili ni li pi mi.	kili ni li ijo mi.
I talked about bad people.	mi toki pi jan ike.	mi toki e ijo pi jan ike.

seme

_^PIJE teaches ... ala ... for yes/no questions, but mentions anu seme much later, translating it as "or what", whereas _^SONJA teaches anu seme and alternatively ... ala ... in the same lesson.

	PIJE	SONJA
Can you sleep?	sina ken ala ken lape?	sina ken lape anu seme? / sina ken ala ken lape?
Do you want the money or what?	sina wile e mani anu seme?	sina wile e mani anu seme? / sina wile ala wile e mani?

li

_^PIJE uses li for additional _^PREDICATEs after mi and sina where _^SONJA splits the _^SENTENCE into two _^SENTENCEs.

	PIJE	SONJA
I'm eating fruit and looking at the house.	mi moku e kili li lukin e tomo.	mi moku e kili. mi lukin e tomo.

_^PIJE never uses commas between multiple li-phrases. _^SONJA allows them.

	PIJE	SONJA
Pineapple is a food and is good.	kili li moku li pona.	kili li moku, li pona.

en

_^PIJE uses en in pi-phrases ("if two people own something together" and for combining colors).

	PIJE	TEPAN
The house of Keli and her husband is big.	tomo pi jan Keli en mije ona li suli.	tomo pi jan Keli, pi mije ona li suli. / jan Keli en mije ona li jo e tomo. ona li suli.
shirt of red and blue	len pi loje en laso	len loje laso

taso

_^PIJE doesn't allow commas before taso as a _^CONJUNCTION. _^SONJA allows them.

	PIJE	SONJA
I want to eat. But I don't have food.	mi wile moku. taso mi jo ala e moku.	mi wile moku, taso mi jo ala e moku.

awen, lukin, sona

_^PIJE never uses awen, lukin or sona as _^PRE-VERBs, but he uses sona for to understand.

	PIJE	TEPAN
I'm thinking about the house.	mi kama sona e tomo.	mi toki insa e ijo tomo.

kule

_^PIJE adds _^ADJECTIVEs expressing color in order to express color combinations.

	PIJE	TEPAN
purple clothing / reddish blue clothing	len laso loje	len pi laso loje

kute

_^PIJE uses nena kute where _^SONJA uses simply kute.

	PIJE	SONJA
Blood is coming from my ear!	telo sijelo loje li kama tan nena kute mi!	telo sijelo loje li kama tan kute mi!

nanpa

_^PIJE uses pi nanpa in order to form ordinal numbers where _^SONJA uses nanpa.

	PIJE	SONJA
My second girlfriend was crazy!	meli mi pi nanpa tu li nasa!	meli mi nanpa tu li nasa!

sike

_^PIJE uses sike e for to circle.

	PIJE	TEPAN
How old are you?	tenpo pi mute seme la sina sike e suno?	tenpo pi mute seme la sina tawa lon sike suno?, sina lon sike suno pi mute seme?, sina pini e sike suno pi mute seme?

la

_^PIJE never uses commas before la. _^SONJA does after if-_^SENTENCEs.

	PIJE	SONJA
If you are dead, you can't speak.	sina moli la sina ken ala toki.	sina moli, la sina ken ala toki.

_^PIJE never uses a _{^{PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE}} before la. _^SONJA does (omitting lon).