Hindi-Urdu echo-nouns in v

[Richard Salomon]

By the way, these "echo-formations" are of course not limited to Hindi: C.
Masica (The
Indo-Aryan Languages, pp.80-1) discusses them in the NIA languages
generally, and further (in Defining a Linguistic Area, p. 189) lists them
as an "Indian Area-Defining" feature (no.10, with references to Emeneau
and Bloch), attested also in Dravidian and Munda.

RS

On Fri, 20 Feb 1998, Dick Plukker wrote:

> A few more examples of these wonderful expressions (quoted from Kavita Kumar,
> Hindi for non-Hindi speaking people, Calcutta etc., 1994, p. 255-56):
> ro.tii-vo.tii,  kaafii-vaafii. She also gives the following echo's:
> ta.rak-bha.rak, aamne-saamne, bhii.r-bhaa.r, hallaa-gullaa.
> ------
>
> To speed up things for you I quote from Anvita Abbi, o.c., p. 23:
>
> naam-vaam, dil-vil, .khuun-vuun, phal-val, aasaan-vaasaan,
> tho.raa-vo.raa, tej-vej, dekhnaa-vekhnaa, ghiisnaa-viisnaa, chuunaa-vuunaa,
> gaanaa-vaanaa, traas-vraas, pyaas-vyaas, ha/snaa-va/snaa, pe.m.t-ve.m.t,
> bhai.m-vai.ms, udhaar-vudhaar, aam-vaam, ainak-vainak, uun-vuun
> ii.m.t-vii.m.t.
> With loss of initial v: vardaan-ardaan, vika.t-uka.t, vaayu-aayu.
> Without v: gholnaa-olnaa, .tuu.tnaa-uu.tnaa, somvaar-omvaar.
> -----
>
> Some more: kaam-vaam, mez-vez;
> .dhiilii-.dhaalii, dhuum-dhaam, saj-dhaj;
> pa.rhnaa-a.rhnaa, baccaa-accaa; .thiik-.thaak.
>
> I recall forms like minister-winister, dance-wance in writers as
> Rushdie and Deshpande. But there are many, many more. Actually, I believe
> you can make echo-words yourself if you should want so.
>
>
> >Dear members of the list,
> >
> >I would be grateful for references to descriptions of doubled nouns in
> >Hindi-Urdu of the following type:
> >
> >First noun: is an ordinary noun
> >Second noun: is a nonsense word that begins with v (or m) and rhymes with
> >the first noun
> >
> >Examples:
> >caae vaae, 'tea, etc.'
> >saRak maRak, 'roads and highways, etc.'
> >
> >--If anyone would care to send further examples I would be very happy.
> >
> >--I am aware of Anvita Abbi's work on reduplicated words in South Asian
> >languages, but it has not reached us yet.
> >
> >My apologies for cross-postings.
> >
> >With best wishes,
> >
> >Ruth Schmidt
> >
> >
> >***********************************************
> >Ruth Laila Schmidt
> >Dept of East European and Oriental Studies
> >University of Oslo
> >P.O. Box 1030 Blindern
> >N-0315 Oslo, Norway
> >Phone: (47) 22 85 55 86
> >Fax: (47) 22 85 41 40
> >Email: r.l.schmidt at east.uio.no
> >
> >
>     Dick Plukker
>     India Institute, Amsterdam
>