Ok so I'm finally teaching my friend toki pona and she's really into The Walking Dead. So, how do I say zombie? Is it just 'jan lon moli' (living dead person) or something else?
Thanks a ton!
mi pana jan pona e sona pi toki pona. mi ken ala ken toki e ni: "Zombie", "jan lon moli"?
Does this work for 'zombie'?
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Does this work for 'zombie'?
ale li pona.
sina o sona e ni.
sina o sona e ni.
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
Well, I would have said 'jan moli lon', in spite of that having the the opposite meaning of a really dead person. Of course 'jan lon moli' is contradictory, too: a dead living person. But I think the best is probably from the series itself, 'jan moli tawa'
'nimi Inli "Zombie" li sona ala sona e nimi pi toki pona 'jan lon moli?'
'nimi Inli "Zombie" li sona ala sona e nimi pi toki pona 'jan lon moli?'
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
strategy #1- coin a phrase that suits the particular situation. Walking dead? Infected with the T virus (i.e. Resident Evil)? World War Z called it African Rabies (since in the fictional story there was an published outbreak in Africa)
strategy #2- Check community attempts & pick the best of what has been used before ref: search.php?keywords=zombie&terms=all&au ... mit=Search
strategy #2- Check community attempts & pick the best of what has been used before ref: search.php?keywords=zombie&terms=all&au ... mit=Search
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
jan moli (pi?) tawa
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
Surely not; the 'pi' is inadmissible since followed by only one word. And it would give exactly the same grouping as without it, if it were allowed. This suggestion looks like a sign of a growing tendency (in which I get involved with everyone else) of seeing 'pi' as a stand-in for a relative clause. It isn't, though it occasionally performs a similar semantic function (but not always or even usually, and, so, not reliably)
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
One can always add one more filler word:
jan moli pi tawa tawa. (reduplication as filler)
jan moli pi tawa mute. (unnecessary emphasis)
jan moli pi tawa kin. (ditto)
jan moli pi tawa ijo. ijo doesn't mean much-- used as filler elsewhere.
Or use pu as a relative particle (exactly what sort of clause maker is another matter).
waso pu tawa -- running bird, ostrich
waso pu tawa telo -- swimming bird, penguin
Or entire sentences
jan moli li tawa.
Injecting these into other sentences is still difficult.
jan moli pi tawa tawa. (reduplication as filler)
jan moli pi tawa mute. (unnecessary emphasis)
jan moli pi tawa kin. (ditto)
jan moli pi tawa ijo. ijo doesn't mean much-- used as filler elsewhere.
Or use pu as a relative particle (exactly what sort of clause maker is another matter).
waso pu tawa -- running bird, ostrich
waso pu tawa telo -- swimming bird, penguin
Or entire sentences
jan moli li tawa.
Injecting these into other sentences is still difficult.
Re: Does this work for 'zombie'?
Well, 'pu' doesn't work that way (0r any other, as far as I can see) in tp and it would make life difficult if it did. But I do miss it, even though we don't NEED it.