Deciphering focus particle 'hI' in Hindi-Urdu
Tariq Khan
safertariq@gmail.com
CALTS, University of Hyderabad
The particle 'hI' in Hindi-Urdu language is used to emphasize constituents, relate information, signal attitude and prevent ambiguity. The positioning of 'hI' adjacent to a constituent make it salient. In a discourse it contributes to the complete interpretation of utterances. And in a sentence, open for interpretation, the putting of hI serves for disambiguation. Let's consider a few sentences with hI occuring at diverse positions within them.
a) XonI hI Sawaka lagAegA
Dhoni only century hit
Only Dhoni will hit century.
b) XonI Sawaka hI lagAegA
Dhoni only century hit
Dhoni will hit century only.
c) XonI Sawaka lagAegA hI
Dhoni only century hit certainly
Dhoni will certainly hit century.
d) jo wumahe pasanda hE vahI miTAI lAyA Huz
that you like same sweet have brought
I have brought the same sweet which you like.
e) vaha WodI hI xera meM calA gayA
he short only time left
He left in a short while.
f) mEM Gara pahumca kara KAUngA
I home reach eat
I will take food after reaching home.
mEM Gara pahumca kara hI KAUngA
I home reach only eat
I will take food only after reaching home.
The position of hI decides the emphasis within an emphatic sentence. As a particle it is invariable in form and does not belong to one of the classes. And still, it has grammatical and pragmatic meaning. As its function is to give prominence to the constituents, it occurs but only once in a given sentence.
A large number of combinations is possible with the merger of pronouns and the particle hI. These combinations may refer to persons, events as well as objects. They are used to perform illocutionary functions.
Example Set One
yaha + hI = yahI 'this one'
vaha + hI = vahI 'that one'
If X = {yahI, vahI}
X AdamI AyA Wa
man had come
is + hI = isI 'this one'
us + hI = usI 'that one'
If X = {isI, usI}
X ne JagdA kiyA WA
had fought
Examples Set Two
in + hI = inahIM 'these ones'
un + hI = unahIM 'those ones'
wuma + hI = wumahIM ' you only'
If X = {inahIM, unahIM, wumhIM}
X ko Pala diyA WA
To fruits had given
Examples Set Three
aba + hI = aBI 'now'
jaba + hI = jaBI 'whenever'
waba + hI = waBI 'then only'
saba + hI = saBI 'all' (inclusive)
If X = {aBI, jaBI, waBI, saBI}
X Gara jAeMge
home go
Examples Set Four
yahAz + hI = yahIM 'here only'
vahAz + hI = vahIM 'there only'
kahAz + hI = kahIM 'wherever'
If X = {yahIM, vahIM, kahIM}
X se Karixa ke lAo
from buy bring
Examples Set Five
Such contracted forms are not possible with the following pronouns:
First person pronoun 'mE'
Second person honorific pronoun 'Apa' and
Possessive pronouns 'merA', 'werA', 'uskA' & 'hamArA'
'hI' exists independently when it is preceded by the above pronouns.
{merA hI, werA hI, uskA hI, mE hI, Apa hI}
The Hindi-Urdu word order and the focus particle 'hI'
The focus particle hI can occur at various constituent positions in a given sentence, but never in the sentence initial position. In all these positions it highlights the constituents preceded by it..
Free word order and hI
a) wumahe hI jAnA WA to mE kyuM AyA?
you only go had then I why come
If only you had to go why did I come?
b) wumahe jAnA hI WA to Aye kyuM We?
you go only had then why come
If you had to go (only) why did you come?
c) wumahe jAnA WA hI nahI to mE kyuM AyA
you go only had then why come
If you did not have to go why did I come?
d) wumahe jAnA to padegA hI
you go have to
You will have to go.
Verbal suffix –we preceding hI
Communicating the sense 'as soon as'.
a ) vaha Gara jAwe hI KAnA banAwA hE
he home reach as soon as prepare food
As soon as he reaches home he prepares food.
b) pEse milwe hI majaxura cale gaye
money get as soon as labourers go home
The labourers went home as soon as they got money.
c) Kela Kawama howe hI hamane paDAI Suru kI
Game end as soon as we studies start
We started the studies as soon as we finished the game.
Alteration with 'siraPa'
a) yaha Gara sirPa Apake liye hE
this house only you for is
This house is for you only.
b) yaha Gara Apake liye hI hE
this house you for only is
This house is only for you.
Oblique infinitive + para hI
a) usake bulAne para hI mE vahAM gayA.
His/her call on only I there went
I went there only on her/ his call.
b) wuma mere bawAe rAswe para hI calanA
you my asked path on just go
You just follow what I have asked you.
Reflexivex plus hI
apane Apa, Kuxa,
a) wuma apane Apa hI gIre We
you self fell
you fell on your own.
b) mE Kuxa hI bimAra WA
I self sick was
I was myself sick.
hI preceded by conjunctive constructions 'kara'
mE kAma Kawama karke hI sone jAuMgA
I work over finish only sleep go
I will go to sleep only after finishing the work.
With dates and time
aBI hI, Aja hI, kala hI, {days of the week/ dates}
Xoni aBI hI Sawaka mAregA.
Dhoni now only century hit
Dhoni will hit century now only.
hI preceded by 'jEse', 'vEse', 'Ese' , and 'jyoM'
a) mEne jEse hI xarvAjA KolA Apa aye
I the moment door open you came
The moment I opened the door you entered.
b) jEse mE boluM vEse hI karo
like I say same way do
Act the way I do.
c) Ese karoge wo acCA hoga
Like this do then good it will be
It will be good if you do like this.
d) jyoM hI mEne GadI xeKI Ce bajane vAlA Wa
the moment I watch look six going to be
The moment I looked at watch it was going to be six.
hI followed by negation marker nahI
a) usane nahI hI bawAyA
he not tell
He did not tell.
b) jaba Xoni Sawaka lagaegA hI nahI jitegA kEse
when Dhoni century hit not win how
When Dhoni will at all not hit century how will they win.
hI Followed by 'ke binA', 'ke sAWa' and 'ke bAxa'
a) vaha juwA pahne binA hI KelawA hE
he shoes wear not even plays
He plays without even without wearing shoes.
b) vaha sirpa apne piwA ke sAWa hI Ayi WI
she only her father with come had
She had come with her father only.
c) mE Gara pahuMcne ke bAxa hI ArAma karungA
I home reach after only rest
I will rest only after reaching home.
hI followed by defining / non defining relative clause.
a) usane hI to KAyA hE
s/he only eaten has
S/he has eaten only.
b) Wumane hI to bulaya WA
You only called had
You only had called
Scambling within a phrase containing the particle hI without altering the meaning or emphasis.
For instance:
isI jagaha pe = is jagaha pe hI
usi ke liye = usa ke liye hi
Apake hI liye = Apake liye hI
a) mEne ye kiwAba Apake liye hI KarixI hE
I this book your for only bought
I bought this book for you only.
b) mEne ye kiwaba Apake hI liye KarixI
I this book you only for bought
I bought this book only for you.
Interface with 'waka', 'ki', 'wo', 'BI', 'ko'
a) wApamAna aBI 40◦C waka hI pahucA hE
temperature now 40◦C upto only reached has
Temperature has reached only 40◦C.
b) kAma yahAz waka hI purA huA hE
work here upto only finished is
Work is finished upto here only.
c) jaba Apa xe rahe ho wo lenA hI padegA
when you giving then take afterall have to
When you are giving I will have to take.
d) vaha BI AyegA hI
he also come emphatic marker
He will definitely come.
e) muJa ko hI xenA
me to only give
Give to me only.
f) vaha pada wo rahI hE hI sAWa me liKa BI rahi hE
she reading with writing also
She is not only reading but writing also.
g) vaha pada hI wo rahI hE liKa wo nahI rahI
she reading only writing not
She is reading only not writng.
Sentences with BI in them if contrasted with those containing hI in them communicate alack of fulfilment or negation when hI is only limiting the boundary or extent to which the work has been completed.
Consider the following sentences.
a) XonI Kela raha hE wo Sawaka lagAega hI
Dhoni playing then century hit
When Dhoni is playing he will definitely hit century.
b) XonI Kela raha hE wo Sawaka hI lagAega
Dhoni playing then century only hit
When Dhoni is playing he will hit century only.
The scope of focus particles is not confined to just discourse marking or emphasizing – they have a role in disambiguation too as the above sentences show. And an optimum understanding of the focus particles, here the focus particle 'hI', will be quite useful in developing instructions for the machines too which are not endowed with disambiguation systems.
References:
Brown, Keith. Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics
Shapiro, Michael C. 1994. A Primer Of Modern Standard Hindi. Motilal Banarsi Dass Publishers. Delhi.
Kachru, Yamuna and Rajeshwari Pandharipande. 1983. Intermediate Hindi. Motilal Banarsi Dass. Delhi.
Subbarao, K. V. 2004. The Role of Particles and Clitics in Disambiguation.
Scott A Schwenter and Shravan Vasisth. Absolute and Relative Particles in Spanish and Hindi.
Note: All examples are in w x notations.
-- TARIQ KHAN09490036424
