Nicknames?

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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janKalepa
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 2:53 am

Nicknames?

Post by janKalepa »

How to handle ni knames in toki pona? They're not usual words, but they can contain official words. Let's imaging a restler, named Ivan Kolov aka Iron Fist. How would he write and say his name and nickname in tp? I see fewpossibilites. One, andmost straightforwzrd is:

jan Iwan Kolow pi nimi "Luka Kiwen"

It involves capitalisztion of official words (is it required here?), and some punctuation. It's easily read,but hard to understand, if heared. The other option is:

jan Iwan (luka kiwen) Kolow

But, our restldr is probably Russian. And in Russian nicknames usually shown instead of surname, followed by full name inbrackets. Let's try it in toki pona:

jan Iwan Luka Kiwen (jan Iwan Kolow)

Worst case. Without capitalisztion it looks like short phrase between names, with - breaks the capitalisation rules.

Is there some widely accepted way to write nicknames in toki pona?
janKipo
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Re: Nicknames?

Post by janKipo »

So far as I recall, no one has raised the issue before. But the situation is clear to this extent, nick names are names and so adjectives (and capitalized) in tp. The basic situation is jan Iwan Kolowe li sama jan Luka Kiwen (I added the 'e' for tp reasons, change if that does something horrible in Russian). So most of your suggestions work off that: jan Iwan Kolowe pi nimi 'Luka Kiwen' ("Ivan Kilov, called "Iron Fist') jan Iwan Kolowe pi sama jan Luka Kiwen' ("Ivan Kolov alias Iron Fist"), even 'jan Iwan Luka Kiwen Kolowe' The last looks like it needs something more, but I can't think what.
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janKalepa
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Re: Nicknames?

Post by janKalepa »

janKipo wrote:jan Luka Kiwen
Oh, so it's a legal way. We can even translate some novels about Chingachgook the Big Snake (probably, jan Sinakuke Akesi Suli?) to toki pona! :lol:
janKipo wrote:(I added the 'e' for tp reasons, change if that does something horrible in Russian)
To be clear, all of that just an exaples. Wrestlers as people, who always use nicknames, Russian language - as language with another way of showing nicknames, and Ivan Kolow is a wrestler from very old German TV-show. And I had much fun, imaging a wrestler, speaking in toki pona :D
Image
'e' (and, sometimes, 'o') at the end of a name in old Russian is the same, as 'o' before name in tp (o jan Ivan) It's not used now. But, anyway, you shoudn't obey rulers of one language, speaking in another.
janMato
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Re: Nicknames?

Post by janMato »

Marcus Miles aka @CasusVerbi weighs in on the subject from the twitterverse:
@janMato jan li toki kepeken toki pona la nimi li ike. taso mi pilin e ni: jan Luka Kiwen li jan Tani Lan. #tokipona
mi jan Mato. taso sina wile la o pana e nimi "jan Nasin Kipisi Suli" tawa mi.

I'm Matthew, but if you want, you can call me "Chunk Style"

(ref: Groening "Nothing piques the curiosity of a woman like an evocative nickname. Tatoo it on your chest for easy reference. Examples: 'Powerhouse,' 'Mad Dog,' 'Elvis,' 'Big Pee Wee,' 'Chunk-Style' and 'Janitor in a Drum.' " http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-29/ ... t-groening )
janKipo
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Re: Nicknames?

Post by janKipo »

nasin pi kipisi suli. could say o nimi 'Nasin pi Kipisi Suli' e mi.
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janKalepa
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Re: Nicknames?

Post by janKalepa »

@janMato jan li toki kepeken toki pona la nimi li ike. taso mi pilin e ni: jan Luka Kiwen li jan Tani Lan. #tokipona
mi sona la ni li ike. But all names are grown from nicknames, every language have a traces of that. We'd say, that Tokiponians by some reason always used forein or strange sounding words. It's pretty normal for me. But I can't believe, that that Tokiponians never give nicknames for they favourite rap sigers, wrestlers, scientists (did you know that friends of Einstein called him Al No-Hairbrush? :o )

So, the language should handle it somehow.
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