वह

Hindi

Etymology

Uncertain.

Most likely from Old Hindi उहु (uhu), उहुं (uhuṃ), from Sauraseni Apabhramsa ओहु (ohu), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀅𑀳𑁄 (aho), from Sanskrit असौ (asáu, “that”).[1][2] The inflected forms are formed by analogy with its proximal counterpart यह (yah).

For Old Hindi वो (vo), Chatterji suggested a derivation from Sauraseni Apabhramsa ओ (o), from Sanskrit *अव (ava), attested in अवोष् (avoṣ), अवोर् (avor, “of you both”, gen. du.), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *avá. He suggested the term not being preserved in literature but continuing to be spoken. Compare Avestan 𐬀𐬬𐬀‎ (ava).

Note that the second etymology explains plural वे (ve) as well, while the first does not. See there for more.

Pronunciation
  • (Delhi Hindi) IPA(key): /ʋəɦ/, /ʋoː/
  • Audio(file)

Pronoun

वह • (vah) (Urdu spelling وہ‎) (demonstrative)

  1. that
    वह मकान बड़ा है। ― vah makān baṛā hai. ― That house is large.
  2. (distal) he, she, it; that one (distal third person singular personal pronoun)
    वह छोटा है। ― vah choṭā hai. ― He is small.
    वह छोटी है। ― vah choṭī hai. ― She is small.

Inflection
Pronoun declension of वह
singular plural
direct वह
vah		 वे
ve
indirect उस
us		 उन
un
ergative उसने
usne		 उन्होंने
unhõne
genitive उसका
uskā		 उनका
unkā
dative उसे, उसको
use, usko		 उन्हें, उनको
unhẽ, unko
instrumental/ablative उससे
usse		 उनसे
unse
inessive उसमें
usmẽ		 उनमें
unmẽ
adessive उसपे, उसपर
uspe, uspar		 उनपे, उनपर
unpe, unpar
terminative उसतक
ustak		 उनतक
untak
semblative उससा
ussā		 उनसा
unsā

Coordinate terms

References
  1. “Development of Pronominal Systems from Apabhraṃśa to New Indo-Aryan”, in Indo-Iranian Journal, volume 39, issue 2, April 1996, pages 111-132
  2. Oberlies, Thomas (2005) A Historical Grammar of Hindi, Grazer Vergleichende Arbeiten, →ISBN, page 23

Further reading
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