What do you think of these expressions?

Language learning: How to speak Toki Pona, translation problems, advice, memory aids, tools and methods to learn Toki Pona and other languages faster
Lingva lernado: Kiel paroli Tokiponon, tradukproblemoj, konsiloj, memoraj helpiloj, iloj kaj metodoj por pli rapide lerni Tokiponon kaj aliajn lingvojn
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jan Bibijan
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:07 am

What do you think of these expressions?

Post by jan Bibijan »

telo kiwen ko = snow
telo kiwen = ice
telo lili = droplet
telo lili mute = rain
telo kon = cloud, fog
telo kon sewi = cloud
linja sewi = lightning
kule sewi = rainbow
telo tawa = river
telo tawa lili = stream
ma lo lawa telo = island
ma lo poka telo = peninsula
tomo ma or tomo kiwen = cave
ma lo lawa ma = mountain
ma selo = valley, plateau
.... lo anpa telo = underwater ....
tomo tawa lo anpa telo = submarine
ma kala = fish school
ma soweli = herd, pack
ma waso = (dunno word in Englsih :oops: )
ma suli lo poka telo = continent
ma sike (suli) = planet
nasin pi suno kama = east
nasin pi suno tawa = west
tenpo seli = summer
tenpo lete = winter
ma seli = desert
ma lete = ice desert
... tawa ma lete tawa soweli walo = north
... tawa ma lete tawa waso walo en pimeja = south (let's not be northern hemisphere centristic)
tomo tawa sewi = spaceship, shuttle, rocket
tomo tawa palise = train
ilo tenpo = clock, time-machine
ilo oko = spectacles, binocle, microscope, telescope

im not saying they should be user or learned by everybody, im just asking if they will be understandable if used in context
janKipo
Posts: 3064
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:20 pm

Re: What do you think of these expressions?

Post by janKipo »

The system (apparently the Forum) has managed to lose my comments on this three or four times now. FI Last shot ((much abbreviated)
Making up expressions in isolation is a bad idea generally, better to develop skills for making up appropriate expressions -- and interpreting them -- in context.
jan Bibijan wrote:telo kiwen ko = snow
Like most: 'ko lete' 'kon telo walo', etc.
telo kiwen = ice
Yes, standard
telo lili = droplet
Yes
telo lili mute = rain
OK, but might be misread as "a small amount of water" (though grouping is wrong)
telo kon = cloud, fog
OK though it sounds spiritual. 'kon/sewi walo' also for cloud
telo kon sewi = cloud
Again, sounds religious (with wrong grouping) but follows from the above for "fog"
linja sewi = lightning
Weak. Expect more about power, brightness and speed. Not sure I would get it immediately
kule sewi = rainbow
Yes. Already in corpus
telo tawa = river
Yes. Others have gone a different route: 'telo linja'
telo tawa lili = stream
Follows
ma lo lawa telo = island
Yech, ptui! I don't like the abbreviations, even if we can get away with them without ambiguity; they spoil the rhythm of the language and make it harsh. I take it, then, that 'lo' is for 'lon' and, thus, in this context, as modifier, for 'pi lon'. I think that 'ma pi lon telo' is enough, "on top of" doesn't add much, merely raises unnecessary questions
ma lo poka telo = peninsula
Nah! this is a bank or beach or something. On the other hand, how would one say "land almost surrounded by water" or "land with water on most sides" in tp?
tomo ma or tomo kiwen = cave
These sound more like hovels and cells, in addition to which caves are not always homes (but neither are tomo). Others have used 'lupa ma' or 'lupa kiwen' which are less problematic
ma lo lawa ma = mountain
Maybe, but "mountain" is in the base of 'nena'
ma selo = valley, plateau
"surface land" or so doesn't seem to fit either of these. I would expect 'ma anpa' and 'ma sewi (supa)' or something in that area
.... lo anpa telo = underwater ....
Maybe 'pi supa telo' ust to distinguish from things at the bottom of the sea
tomo tawa lo anpa telo = submarine
Follows
ma kala = fish school
ma soweli = herd, pack
ma waso = (dunno word in Englsih :oops: )
No, none of these schools, flocks, herds, murders, crashes, etc. etc. are land in any sense; they are all 'kulupu'
ma suli lo poka telo = continent
'ma suli' is probably enough usually (I think it is on the textbook map), "next to water" doesn't add much
ma sike (suli) = planet
Nice, but I think "planet" is in the base of 'mun'
nasin pi suno kama = east
nasin pi suno tawa = west
Probably the best solution; common, though often with 'anpa' and 'sewi'
tenpo seli = summer
tenpo lete = winter
Obviously right
ma seli = desert
In fairness to the Gobi, etc maybe 'ma pi telo ala' (or 'lili')
ma lete = ice desert
Not sure what this is, but the tp is very general and this seems specific
... tawa ma lete tawa soweli walo = north
... tawa ma lete tawa waso walo en pimeja = south (let's not be northern hemisphere centric)
Good point; good solution as long as the critters last
tomo tawa sewi = spaceship, shuttle, rocket
tomo tawa palise = train
So many vehicles are (relatively) long and thin; maybe the common 'tomo tawa pi linja tu'
ilo tenpo = clock, time-machine
ilo oko = spectacles, binocle, microscope, telescope
Lots of more specific subcases: ilo lukin, ilo pi lukin weka, ilo pi lukin lili and so on
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jan Seloki
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Re: What do you think of these expressions?

Post by jan Seloki »

I would translate snow as ko lete. Cloud is usually translated as kon walo. Mountain would be nena or nena suli. nena is any kind of a bump. nena kon would be the "bump" used for breathing air (kon). What is "lo"? Do you mean lon? I wouldn't use ma soweli/kala. I would use kulupu soweli/kala as in a 'group of_".
人り有え人上ら人り要物無。
ین لی یۆ إ ین سوی لا ین لی ئولی أۆ إ ئیو ألا
.ין לי יו א ין סוי לה ין לי וילה ייו אלה
ܝܲܢ ܠܝܼ ܝܘܿ ܥܹ ܝܲܢ ܣܹܘܝܼ ܠܲܐ ܝܲܢ ܠܝܼ ܘܝܼܠܹܥ ܝܼܝܘܿ ܐܲܠܲܐ.
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