Vocabulary
Urdu has a vocabulary rich in words with and Middle Eastern
origins. The language's Indic base has been enriched by borrowing from Persian
and Arabic. There are also a smaller number of borrowings from Chagatai,
Portuguese, and more recently English. Many of the words of Arabic origin have
been adopted through Persian and have different pronunciations and nuances of
meaning and usage than they do in Arabic.
Levels of formality
Urdu in its less formalised register has been referred to as
a rekhta (ریختہ, [reːxt̪aː]),
meaning "rough mixture". The more formal register of Urdu is
sometimes referred to as zabān-e-Urdu-e-mo'alla (زبان
اردو معلہ [zəbaːn eː ʊrd̪uː eː moəllaː]),
the "Language of the Exalted Camp", referring to the Imperial Bazar.
The etymology of the word used in the Urdu language for the
most part decides how polite or refined one's speech is. For example, Urdu
speakers would distinguish between پانی
pānī and آب āb, both
meaning "water" for example, or between آدمی ādmi and مرد
mard, meaning "man". The former in each set is used colloquially and
has older Hindustani origins, while the latter is used formally and poetically,
being of Persian origin.
If a word is of Persian or Arabic origin, the level of
speech is considered to be more formal and grand. Similarly, if Persian or
Arabic grammar constructs, such as the izafat, are used in Urdu, the level of
speech is also considered more formal and grand. If a word is inherited from
Sanskrit, the level of speech is considered more colloquial and personal
That distinction has likenesses with the division between
words from a French or Old English origin while speaking English.
Politeness
Urdu syntax and vocabulary reflect a three tiered system of
politeness called ādāb. Due to its emphasis on politeness and propriety, Urdu
has always been considered an elevated, somewhat aristocratic, language in
South Asia. It continues to conjure a subtle, polished affect in South Asian
linguistic and literary sensibilities and thus continues to be preferred for
song-writing and poetry, even by non-native speakers.
Any verb can be conjugated as per three or four different
tiers of politeness. For example, the verb to speak in Urdu is bolnā (بولنا) and the verb to sit is
baiţhnā (بیٹھنا). The
imperatives "speak!" and "sit!" can thus be conjugated five
different ways, each marking subtle variation in politeness and propriety.
These permutations exclude a host of auxiliary verbs and expressions which can
be added to these verbs to add even greater degree of subtle variation. For
extremely polite or formal situations, nearly all commonly used verbs have
equivalent formal synonyms (Row 5 below). The phrase category '[āp] bolo',
mentioned in Row 3 below, is associated with the Punjabi usage 'tusi bolo' and
is rarely used in written Urdu. It is considered grammatically incorrect,
particularly in the Gangetic Plain, where the influence of Punjabi on Urdu is
minimal.
Literary* [tu]
bol! تو بول
[tu] baiţh! تو
بیٹھ
Casual and Intimate [tum]
bolo. تم بولو
[tum] baiţho تم
بیٹھو
Polite and Intimate [āp]
bolo آپ بولو
[āp] baiţho. آپ
بیٹھو
Formal yet Intimate [āp]
bolen آپ بولیں [āp] baiţhen. آپ
بیٹھیں
Polite and Formal [āp]
bolīye آپ بولیئے [āp] baiţhīye. آپ بیٹھیئے
Ceremonial / Extremely Formal [āp] farmaīye آپ فرمایئے [āp]
tašrīf-rakhīye. آپ تشریف رکھیئے
Similarly, nouns are also marked for politeness and
formality. For example, uskī vālida, "his mother" is a politer way of
say uskī ammī. Uskī vālida-mohtarmā is an even more polite reference, while
saying uskī mān would be construed as derogatory. None of these forms are slang
or shortenings, and all are encountered in writing.
Expressions are also marked or politeness. For example, the
expression "No!" could be nā, nahīn or jī-nahīn in order of
politeness. Similarly, "Yes!" can be hān-jī, hān, jī or jī-hān in
order of politeness.
No comments:
Post a Comment