Editing Kot Wawa (section)

== Rule #8 – Subjects ==
NP li VP.

If you say a noun phrase and then “li”, the “li” ends that noun phrase. If you then say a verb phrase, that noun phrase does that verb phrase. The noun phrase is then said to be the ''subject'' of the sentence.

With this rule, you can mention something and say what it’s doing.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|  | màlak.
|  | “It’s makes a sound.”
|  | 
|-
| | ján li màlak.
| | “A person makes a sound.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | kálam li zùl.
| | “The sound is loud.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | ján li màlak zùl.
| | “A person makes a loud noise.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | kál li mùt.
| | “The fish are many.”, “I’m talking about a lot of fish.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | wás li zòn.
| | “The bird knows.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | wás li lòn kás.
| | “The bird is in a tree.”, “There are birds in the trees.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|}

This “NP li VP” sentence structure is taken from Toki Pona.

=== Question ===
How could I say?:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|  | “Someone is talking.”
|  | 
|  | as in “A person is talking.”
|-
| | “The tree is big.”
| | 
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | “The bird is going.”
| | 
| style="border-top:none;" | ''dàu'' = “go”
|}

If you add an extra “li VP”, the subject does that verb phrase too.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|  | ján li dàu li dòk.
|  | “The person is walking and talking.”
|  | 
|-
| | wàs li dàu li mòk pípi.
| | “The bird is going and eating insects.”
| style="border-top:none;" | e.g. It might be flying and eating them out of the air.
|-
| | mì.
| | “It’s me.”
| style="border-top:none;" | < tok ''mi,'' ult. < en ''me''
|-
| | mí li dàu.
| | “I go.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | mí li gàm. li lùki. li jò.
| | “I come. I see. I have it.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|-
| | zìna.
| | “It’s you.”
| style="border-top:none;" | < tok ''sina''
|-
| | sína li bòn.
| | “You’re good.”
| style="border-top:none;" | 
|}

A point of difference from Toki Pona is that Kot Wawa requires mí and sína to be used with li when either of them is used alone as a subject, whereas in Toki Pona doesn’t. e.g. tok “mi tawa,” is equivalent to Kot Wawa “mí li dàu.”


=== Question ===
How could I say?:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|  | “The fish is big and noisy.”
|  | 
|  | ''màlak ''can be used for “noisy”
|}