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Revision as of 06:07, 9 December 2014
-jī or Ji (Devanagari: जी, Urdu: جی, Bengali: জী) is mainly an honorific suffix used in many Indian languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri etc. The word "-ji" is not a mainstream word in Bengali language, but sometimes used as suffix after names or salutations.
Origin
The origin of the ji honorific is uncertain and unkknown.[1] One suggestion is that it is a borrowing from an Austroasiatic language such as Sora.[2] Another is that the term means 'soul' or 'life' (similar to the jān suffix) and is derived from Sanskrit.[3]
Spelling variations
-ji word several spelling variations
- jee - Anglicised spelling, common in old publications.
- jii - example: Anandamurtijii, founder of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha.
- jiew - example: Shankari Mai Jiew in Paramahansa Yogananda|Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.
- joo - example: Lakshman Joo of Kashmir.
- jiu - example: Radha Raman Jiu temples in Bengal.
Usage
As an honorific
-ji may be used as an honorific after names or salutations to show respect.
Example
(Names)
- Anandamurtijii
- Netaji
- Swamiji
(Other examples)
- Mamaji (Mama=Materal uncle)
- Chachaji (Chacha=Paternal uncle)
- Nanaji (Nana=Maternal grandfather)
As a standalone word
-ji may also be used as a single word and as an independent word, its meaning changes depending on the way word is pronounced or punctuation is used after it in writing.
These are not used in Bengali language. The Bengali equivalent is "আজ্ঞে".
Examples
- "-ji" as "okay" or "all right"
- Person 1: I'll reach there by 6 pm
- Person 2: Ji. (means "okay/all right")
- "-ji" as "yes"
- Person 1: Do you have an English-Hebrew dictionary?
- Person 2: Ji. (means "yes")
- "-ji" as a question like "what?" "please clarify" "please repeat"
- Person 1: CR8 became today's MoM?
- Person 2: Ji? (means "What?" or "Please clarify." CR8 is the nickname of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and MoM means "Man of the Match", but the person failed to understand these and asked for clarification.)
- Double "-ji"
Double "-ji" mainly means "okay, okay" or "yes, yes" and indicates a strong opinion
- Person 1: Have you understood, what I said?
- Person 2: Ji ji (yes, yes/ absolutely)
References
- ^ Archiv Orientální, Volume 75, Československý orientální ústav v Praze, Orientální ústav (Československá akademie věd), 2007, ... Artur Karp is concerned with the etymology of the honorific —ji, which belongs to the basic vocabulary of Hindi. Its etymology is unclear and the author points out several possibilities ...
- ^ Sora-English Dictionary, Giḍugu Veṅkaṭarāmamūrti, Mittal Publications, 1986, ... Is honorific -ji used in the neo-Aryan languages of India borrowed from Sora? ...
- ^ Perfecting Women: Maulana Ashraf ʻAlī Thanawi's Bihishti Zewar: a Partial Translation with Commentary, Ashraf ʻAlī Thānvī, Barbara Daly Metcalf, pp. 165, University of California Press, 1992, ISBN 9780520080935, ... Seemingly used interchangeably, the terms qalb, dil, and ji are, respectively, Arabic, Persian, and Hindi in origin, the linguistic universalism suggesting the comprehensiveness the term "heart" is meant to convey; in all three cases, the meaning spills over to "self", "mind," and "soul" ...
External links
- -ji at Wikipedia