Redistribute wealth lest path dependence prevent optimum allocation of resources.
Silence is golden
"不管白貓黑貓，逮住老鼠就是好貓" - 邓小平

Toki Pona: Imprecise Immersive Diagram

Pattern 1

nimi o

a, ala, ike, jaki, mu, o, pakala, pona, toki

Pattern 2

nimi o

[taso] **** la

nimi en* nimi ⋯ en* nimi

li [kama, ken, wile] **** e nimi ⋯ e* nimi lon nimi ⋯ lon* nimi
⋮
li* [kama, ken, wile] **** e nimi ⋯ e* nimi lon nimi ⋯ lon* nimi

Key

****
= ante,
= ken,
= nimi en nimi ⋯ en nimi li [kama, ken, wile] **** e nimi ⋯ e nimi lon nimi ⋯ lon nimi⋮li [kama, ken, wile] **** e nimi ⋯ e nimi lon nimi ⋯ lon nimi

****
= nimi
= [kama, ken, wile] nasin ⋯ nasin
= [kama, ken, wile] pali nasin ⋯ nasin

nimi = ijo ⋯ ijo nasin ⋯ nasin pi
++++++ijo ⋯ ijo nasin ⋯ nasin pi
++++++⋮
++++++ijo ⋯ ijo nasin ⋯ nasin

Exceptions to pattern 2

- pi ijo
- pi ijo nasin
- lon e
- kama e
- mi li
- sina li
- [ijo, nasin] mi li
- [ijo, nasin] sina li

Alterations to pattern 2

* en, li, e, lon => anu ⋯ ?
nimi => sema ⋯ ?
nasin => pi nanpa tu ⋯ tu wan

Key (vocabulary)

lon = kepeken, lon, poka, sama, tan, tawa

ijo = akesi, ala, ali(ale), anpa, ante, ijo, ike, ilo, insa, jaki, jan, jo, kala, kalama, kama, kasi, ken, kili, kiwen, ko, kon, kule, kulupu, lape, lawa, len, lete, linja, lipu, luka, lupa, ma, mama, mani, meli, mi, mije, moku, moli, monsi, mun, musi, mute, nanpa, nasin, nena, nimi, noka, oko, olin, ona, pakala, pali, palisa, pana, pilin, pimeja, pini, pipi, poka, poki, pona, seli, selo, sewi, sijelo, sike, sina, sinpin, sitelen, sona, soweli, suli, suno, supa, suwi, tan, tawa, telo, tenpo, toki, tomo, tu, unpa, uta, utala, walo, wan, waso, wawa, weka, wile

nasin = ala, ali(ale), anpa, ante, awen, ijo, ike, insa, jaki, jan, jelo, kama, kin, kiwen, kon, kule, kulupu, kute, lape, laso, lawa, lete, lili, loje, lukin, mama, meli, mi, mije, moli, monsi, mun, musi, mute, nasa, ni, olin, ona, pali, pimeja, pini, poka, pona, sama, seli, sewi, sike, sin, sina, suli, suwi, taso, tawa, toki, tomo, tu, unpa, uta, walo, wan, wawa, weka, wile

pali = ante, awen, awen, ijo, ike, ike, jaki, jan, jo, kalama, kalama, kama, kama, ken, ken, kepeken, kule, kute, lawa, lete, lili, lon, lukin, lukin, moku, moli, moli, musi, musi, mute, nasa, olin, open, pakala, pakala, pali, pali, pana, pilin, pilin, pimeja, pini, pona, seli, sin, sitelen, sona, sona, suli, suwi, tawa, tawa, telo, toki, toki, tu, unpa, unpa, utala, wan, wawa, weka, wile

~~~~
Unanswered Questions
- is either "ante en ken la..." or "ante la ken la..." grammatical?
- can we consider the main predication (vocative-context-subject-verb-object-preposition) pattern to include vocative-interjection sentences (ie, making vocative-verb constructions ambiguously between interjection and command)
- can interjections be interspersed in a predication, or would they parse as other parts of speech?
- is "o" a separator or postpositional? (ie, is "mama o." a grammatical sentence? does "o..." imply postpositional because the vocative is implied?)
- is "o jan pali" defined? if so, is it a statement (probably) or command?
- is "sina sema?" grammatical, or must we use "sina pali e sema?"?
- can "anu" replace initial "li" and "e" to simplify formal syntax? maybe not for symmetry: obviously "anu" cannot replace initial prepositions.
- can "anu" be inserted between prepositional phrases. maybe not for symmetry: anu replaces words in all other contexts.
- how is "taso" used metalinguistically? inserted at the beginning of the sentence, does "taso" render "but..."?

Toki Pona Syntax

I dislike the highly recursive wikipedia diagram. Here is another summary of syntax. For a complete summary of grammar with explaination and example, go to Bryant Knight's lessons

All 9 possible utterances in Toki Pona
Brackets mean optional
Asterick means pattern may be repeated
Patterns 2b, 4a, 4b are not included on wikipedia but seem necessary and grammatical

Let's define verbals as: verb + [adverb]*
Vocatives, subjects, and objects can be:
1. noun + [adjective]* + [pi noun adjective*]*
2. noun + [adjective]* + [anu noun adjective*]*

Interjection
1. [vocative o] + a, ala, ike, jaki, mu, o, pakala, pona, or toki

Statement
2. [vocative o] + subject [en subject]*… (one or any combination of the following)
+++++ li + [modal] + object + [preposition + object]*
+++++ li + [modal] + adjective + [preposition + object]*
+++++ li + [modal] + verbal + [e object]* + [preposition + object]*

Or question
3. Take a statement and replace every li except the one proceeding the subject (ie, the first unless elided) with anu to form an "or" question.

Yes/no question
4. [vocative o] + subject [en subject]*… (one or any combination of the following)
+++++ li + [modal] + object_x ala object_x + [preposition + object]*
+++++ li + [modal] + adjective_x ala adjective_x + [preposition + object]*
+++++ li + [modal] + verbal_x ala verbal_x + [e object]* + [preposition + object]*
+++++ li + [modal]_x ala [modal]_x + verbal + [e object]* + [preposition + object]*

Command
5. [vocative] + o + object + [preposition + object]*
6. [vocative] + o + adjective + [preposition + object]*
7. [vocative] + o + verbal + [e object] + [preposition + object]*
(Omit vocative and o for soft command)

Conditioning
8. [vocative o] + [taso] + Statement + la + Statement
9. [vocative o] + [taso] + noun + la + Statement
(example nouns: ken la = maybe; tempo...la = at time...,)

Exceptions
Omit li after unmodified subjects mi and sina (I, you)
Omit e after verbs lon and tawa (be at, go/come to)

~~~~

Clarification
o proceeds vocatives, which can imply commands; o used alone always implies commands
en can only connect multiple subjects
li separates the subject and predicate; can connect verb phrases
e separates the verb and object; can connect multiple objects
anu can only form "or" questions by connecting nouns or verb phrases, not logical statements
ala placed between the same word forms yes/no questions
taso…la… forms conditional statements; taso optional
pi (of) can connect nouns (the modiying noun must have an adjective attached to it) and can override left grouping of modifiers:
++++poki kasi kule = container plant color: "a colorful pot"
++++poki pi kasi kule = container of-( plant color: "a flower pot"

Unanswered questions
- "anu" forms questions (like 还是, or). can it also form statements (like 或者, or)? probably not: outside of logic, "conjuctive or" can be circumlocuted with either an "or" question or "and" construction
- can "seme" be a verb? ie, "sina seme" = "what are you doing?" or "what are you?"
- can commands include modals? ie, "Be able to recite this text!"
- can modals be connected? ie, "I want and am able to go."
- can vocatives proceed "la"? wikipedia implies it; I'm dubious
- can "seme" be a vocative? ie, "seme o" = "what should I call you?"
- are sentences that ask a wh-question(s) and a yes/no question allowed?
- can anu connect prepositions? ie, "are you at home or next to school?"
- can a noun, adjective, or preposition be repeated to form a yes/no question? surely there is a way to ask "are you good?" and "are you a person?" Toki Pona probably disallows differentiating the center of yes/no questions per above in other cases.
- how are comparisons circumlocuted (according to Bryant Knight, using two sentences with "mute" and "lili," "very" and "a little")
- can "li" connect predicates in questions and commands? Maybe questions.
- indirect speech?

In Lojban you are allowed to combine grammatical structures at will. In natural languages, combinations that are described by the grammatical machinery but not conventional and awkward are not allowed--ie, "oh what?" (doi ma?) to mean "what is your name" is allowed in Lojban but not English. Toki Pona probably disallows certain combinations of grammatical structures to preserve simplicity.

The Missionary Spirit

My father was raised in a culture honoring the missionary spirit. My mother was not.

My father's culture finds it honorable and worthwhile to try and help people, even if you fail, and even if you know beforehand you will fail--what matters is having tried. In any case, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. My mom says: help people if you can help them. Why try and help someone if you know you can't help them? But why not help someone if you can? It's not about merit.

The missionary spirit has nothing to do with helping others. It has to do with internal spirit. It's about me, not you.

If asked, "should I give money to beggars?" remember the middle path. I wouldn't say you should always give money, nor would I say you should never; give money if you choose to and don't give money if you don't.

Yesterday I found myself giving beggars a lot of money, and I realized it was a feeble attempt to assuage my guilt for having sent a man to jail as a juror that morning. But that fact does nothing to make the charity any more or less charitable. Charity is just charity; I don't believe in merit.

Five Seconds Ago...

Dad: "Would you marry someone more stupid than you?"
Mom: "I did!"