30·ko li

Two last small words, and both of them work by pointing at whichever part of the sentence carries the weight. ko singles one out. li fences the claim to it and shuts the others out. The difference between those two jobs is the whole chapter:

SceneI

lopia to shua.ko lopia to shua.li lopia to shua.

The child came. It was the child who came. Only the child came. The first reports an arrival. The second answers a question about which of them it was. The third says something about everyone else.

SceneII

ko mia thia nila.mia ko thia nila.mia thia ko nila.

I am the one who sees you. You are the one I see. Seeing is what I do to you. The words never move; only the little word does, and it lands wherever the weight belongs.

SceneIII

li wheo ha sano.li ta powea mua tomi nai.wheo li thia wei nophi loa.

Only the elder knows this. There is only one egg in the pot. The elder tells the story to you alone. li fences who and which and where; it never counts. One egg is one egg because the numeral says so.

SceneIV

misheko li nuora rinu.lohau theula thena rinu.

The cat wants only food. The dog wants everything. Two animals, two philosophies, and the difference between them is one particle.