janKipo wrote:It would seem reasonable to consider word pairs, rather than words alone, since then the notion of positive and negative come into sharper focus. So, for example, on the good-evil axis, tp has one positive but two negative. In another case, Mato gives 'lete' a minus, but does not give 'seli' a positive. In other cases, we find one side represented, the other not: 'moli' but no "alive". I still think the overall result will favor the negative.
Method by counting how many words pairs have both, or only one on a potentially positive negative continuuum.
* Some words just don't want to fall on a nice good-bad continuum.
* Colors, animals, body parts usually don't have an obvious antonym
* Good words listed first, bad second
* Some of these depend on culture, including gender, family and prepositions
I haven't finished filling in the blanks, but so far, there are more missing items on the negative side than on the positive side.
Positive -> Negative
soweli -> akesi (pleasant vs unpleasant animals)
ale/ali, lon -> ala (exist, doesn't exist)
alasa -> weka (find vs lose)
sewi -> anpa (up/down)
sama-> ante (same/different)
awen -> weka (keep, lose)
ijo -> ala? (something, nothing)
ike -> pona
insa -> Missing outside
jaki -> pona
jo -> missing lack
kalama -> missing quiet
kama - tawa
kepeken -> missing neglect
kipisi -> wan
kin -> missing "hardly"
kiwen -> ko/kon ?
kule -> pimeja/walo ?
kute -> missing ignore/inaudible
missing awake -> lape
lawa -> noka
seli -> lete
suli-> lili
palisa -> linja (wavy, straight)
lipu -> nena (flat, bumpy)
mama -> missing stranger/unrelated, depending on what you think the default is, we're missing father
mani -> missing worthless/poor
meli <->mije (ordering or lack of it, depends on culture)
missing inedible, poison? -> moku
missing alive -> moli
mute ->lili
namako -> missing required
nanpa -> missing infinite (not clear which of these would be "positive")
missing sane/ordinary - > nasa
nasin -> missing chaos
oko -> missing invisible
olin -> missing hate
pona -> pakala (fix, break)
musi -> pali (work, play)
pana -> jo (Well, I guess it depends on what one is giving)
pilin -> missing insentiate
walo -> pimeja (canonical reference to the "dark teenage poetry", so dark is negative)
open -> pini (finish, start)
missing near -> poka (far)
selo ->lete
sin -> missing old
sinpin ->monsi (front, back)
sona -> missing stupid
suno -> pimeja
supa -> nena?
suwi -> missing sour/bitter
tan -> tawa (to/from)
telo -> missing "dry"
toki-> missing "mute" as in can't talk.
open -> tomo (open, enclosed)?
unpa -> missing celebate, what negative and positive depends on culture
missing peace -> utala
wan -> tu (unite, split)
wawa -> missing weak.
wile -> missing unwanted/averse to
Not clear what sort of continuum these fall on
ma -> mun/telo/suno?
esun -> means both buy and sell.
anu -> en (?)
kulupu ->?
laso->?
len->?
lukin ->?
kasi ->?
ken ->?
kili ->?
luka ->?
mu ->?
mun -> ma?
waso - ?
sitelen -> ?
nimi ->?
noka ->?
pan ->?
pipi ->?
tenpo-> timeless?
ilo -> (unusable?)
jan -> (inhumane?)
kala -> ?
lupa ->(unpunctured?)
uta -> ?
poki -> (unboxed?)
sike -> (oval? square?)
sijelo -> (disembodied?)
jelo, laso, loje -- No clear meaning for the oposite of a color.