Chapter 17 Coordination and contrast
Contrast: thona
Where nela says "and," thona says "but." It coordinates two equally ranked elements while presenting the second against an expectation raised by the first.
shiro mioru nai thona thiku nai.
tree beautiful be ADVRS small be.
mia shelomu thona thia ma shelomu.
1SG understand ADVRS 2SG NEG understand.
Like nela, thona can join words, phrases, or clauses. Here it joins two descriptions of the same person:
shia shaelo thona thesua nai.
3SG brave ADVRS mindful be.
What the contrast claims
Both coordinated elements remain asserted. In "brave but mindful," the second quality may be unexpected in the immediate conversation, but thona does not say that bravery and mindfulness are natural opposites. That expectation belongs to the speaker and can be questioned.
Compare two ways of handling a complex observation:
Without contrast: shiro mioru nai. shiro thiku nai.
(The tree is beautiful. The tree is small.)
The two sentences state the qualities without relating them.
With contrast: shiro mioru nai thona thiku nai.
(The tree is beautiful, but it is small.)
The coordinated sentence marks the smallness as a contrast to the beauty. The facts stay the same; the speaker has added a relation between them.
Contrast between clauses
At clause level, thona stands between two complete assertions:
mia to theo thona to ma shelomu.
1SG PST read ADVRS PST NEG understand.
sileta sulae nai thona howeli pelui nai.
sun warm be ADVRS wind cold be.
shia haolu thona lo miona ma sheluo.
3SG speak ADVRS PL person NEG listen.
thona marks a local contrast inside one sentence. When the turn comes after a period and redirects a longer line of thought, Part V uses the discourse marker whekai instead.