ESTUDIO ECONÓMICO

3.3.3.1Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns mark a three-way distinction in the perceptual distance of referents: proximal, distal and remote. The paradigm, however, is asymmetrical in that not all possible forms are attested. In many cases only a two-way distinction is made. The primary demonstrative pronouns in Dhimal are listed below in Diagram 6.

proximal distal remote

ita here inta there ota yonder

esa like this insa like that osa like that

iso this way inso that way oso that way

ede this ode that

edoi this very8 _odoi15 _{that very}

isika this kind insika that kind usika that kind

iŋko that uŋko that

ethe this much othe that much

Diagram 6 Demonstrative pronouns

The salient morphemes for constructing the proximal, distal and remote forms are front vowel, front vowel with nasal and back vowel respectively. Where only a two-way distinction exists, the contrast is between front and back vowels. In some morphemes the vowel may vary between high and mid: ede~idi,insa ~ensa, ota~ uta. All of these forms also have corresponding interrogative pronouns, with the exception ofiŋko anduŋko.

53 ede jhoko m piɁ-nha-khe.

this amount rice sell-1p-IMPF

We sell this much rice.

54 uŋko kam pa-li goi-a-na.

that work do-INF must-FUT-2 Youswill have to take care of that business.

55 iŋko nheɁ-mi-ko isika desisan jeŋ-hi.

that two-HCL-GEN like.this decision occur-P

Those two came to this kind of decision. 56 odoŋ bhaɁsiŋ ka ma-doɁt-ã.

that reason I NEG-say-FUT.1s

For that reason, I won’t say.

8

3.3.3.2Interrogative and indefinite pronouns

The interrogative pronouns are given below.

hai what

haipali9_{~ haibili why}

hasu who

hasuko10 _whose

heta where

hesa ~ hesapa how

hede which

hedoi which very

hethe how much

heɁmi how many (people)

heɁloŋ how many (things)

heɁlau when

hiso where to

hisika what kind

All the question words in Dhimal have the interrogative morphemes <ha-> or <he(Ɂ)->. The quantitative interrogative morpheme <heɁ-> is productive and freely concatenates with borrowed quantitative measures.

heɁ-baje at what time

heɁ-mahina how many months

heɁ-taka how many rupees

heɁ-kosa how many pods (of bananas)

heɁ-kilo how many kilos

Interrogative pronouns may be used as indefinite pronouns either alone or with the morpheme buŋ meaning ‘also, even’ or the focus particledoŋ.

9

haipali is transparently made up of the interrogative pronoun hai and the infinitival verbpali‘to do’.

10

57 hai doɁ-khe last.

what say-IMPF last

Whatever [they] say is final. 58 hasu-heŋ ma-pi aŋ?

who-DAT NEG-give TAG? Don’t give it to anyone, okay? 59 hasu buŋ manthu.

who also NEG.EXT

There isn’t anyone [here]. 60 hiso buŋ ma-han-ã.

whither also NEG-go-FUT.1s

I won’t go anywhere.

61 hai doŋ ma-cã.

what FOC NEG-eat.FUT.1s I don’t want anything to eat.

62 hai doŋ ma-ko.

what FOC NEG-COP

It’s nothing.

Another set of indefinite pronouns exists, which consists of the Dhimal interrogative pronoun with an initial Indic relative pronominal loan morpheme /j-/. This Indo-Aryan-influenced process for creating indefinite forms, however, does not appear to have been carried through fully and some interrogative pronouns do not have a corresponding Indo-Aryan-style indefinite counterpart. These indefinite pronouns are primarily employed as relative pronouns in relative clauses.

interrogative indefinite

hai jai

hesa jesa hede jede hethe jethe hisika jisika hasu *jasu heɁlau *jeɁlau11 hiso *jiso

3.3.3.3‘All’ and ‘other’

The wordjharaŋindicates the totality of a set of referents, generally human ones, and may be used substantively or attributively as in the following examples.

63 jharaŋ taŋ-hi doɁ-khe.

all climb-P say-IMPF

They all climbed up they say.

64 majhi-ko camindi jharaŋ waraŋ-gelai-heŋseu pa-khe.

chief-GEN daughter all old.man-PL-DAT greet do-IMPF

The headman’s daughter greets all the old men. 65 uŋko miliŋ jharaŋ-ko əilani miliŋ.

that land all-GEN ailani land That land is everyone’sailāniland.

When the set of referents is inanimate or non-human, then the Indo-Aryan loan12 _{gota ‘each’ is employed with the emphatic clitic} <-ŋ>.

66 gota-ŋ arna diya lo-hi garaŋguruŋ-pa.

each-EMP arna water.buffalo come-P thunderous-do All the wild water buffalo came with a thundering roar.

11

But notejelau-selau‘sometimes, occasionally’.

12 _{Bengali has goṭa and Maithili has gota , both with the meaning ‘each’ or}

67 wa tereŋ-bhuti cum-pu-teŋ wa gota-ŋ cum-pu-hi.

3s intestines take-DIST-SEQ 3s each-EMP take-DIST-P

Having brought the large and small intestines, [she] brought it all.

68 gota-ŋ muisa hu:-hi gota-ŋ.

each-EMP body.hair fall.out-P each-EMP

All [his] body hair fell out, all of it.

The following forms have been identified using the the native root <bo-> to indicate the meaning of ‘other’: bomi ‘another person, a different person’, bosa ‘other way’, boso ‘other direction’, bothame

‘other place’. The last form contains the Indo-Aryan loan thame

‘place’.

69 ba bo-mi-ko ulka-so lo-nha be?

or other-HCL-GEN behest-EL come-P.2 DUB

Or whether youscome at another’s behest?

70 bheneŋ thame boso kana bənai-teŋbuŋ dhaɁ-li do-khe.

other place other.way hole build-SEQalso run-INFcan-IMPF

They can get away through holes built to other places. 71 bo-thame hane-siŋ.

other-place go-ADH.DL

Let’sdgo somewhere else.