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- Gender in
Hindi is determined by usage, not by any hard and fast
rules. The following points may be noted for guidance
:
- Nouns denoting
male beings are Masculine and those denoting fe,a;e neomgs
are Fe,omome. (They have the `Natural Gender').
- However,
the Masculine Nouns ܍ܽ (plural) `children, and ܽ
`people' (always plural ) may refer to both male and female
persons. ܍ in the singular may refer to a female
child, although the feminine form ܍ does exist.
- Nouns denoting
certain species of animals, birds, insects etc. are either
only Masculine or only Feminine.
- Masculine
:-
| ܮ `bird' |
ܻ `owl' |
| ܾ `crow' |
ܽ `wolf' |
|
`leopard' |
`insect' |
| ܒܥ
`bug' |
܍
`mosquito' |
|
ōܺ `earthworm'
|
For denoting
specifically the female species, the word `female'
is prefixed to these Nouns, the gender remaining the same
:
|
ܽ `she-wolf' |
܍ `female mosquito' |
- Feminine :-
| ܹ `bird' |
`kite' |
| ܽܥ `cuckoo' |
ܥۣ
`squirrel' |
| ܥ
`butterfly' |
Ɖ `fly' |
|
`fish'
etc.
|
For denoting the
male, the word ܣ `male' is prefixed to these - the gender
remaining Feminine.
- Collective
Nouns are treated as names of `things' even if they refer
to a collection of human beings, and their Gender depends
upon usage. Thus, ܟܻ `group', ܺ `multitude', ܹܣ
or Œ `family', ڥ `troop' etc. are Masculine; while
`crowd', ܾ `army', ܞ `meeting or assembly',
Ϗ `the ipeople, (subjects)' etc. are Feminine.
- Most of the
Tadbhava Nouns ending in -, -, -ܨ, -ܛ, and
-ܛ are Masculine :
| ܾ
`pice' |
Ŝ `cloth' |
| ܛ `sugar-cane' |
ܛ
`coming' |
| ܛ
`going' |
ܛ `meal' |
| ܛ
`song' |
ܨ `flow' |
| ܺܨ `bend' |
Ŝܛ
`boyhood' |
| ܛ
`greatness' |
ܺܜ `old
age' |
| ܊ܛ
`tax' |
ܥܛ
`comparison, harmony'
|
- Most of the
Nouns ending in - , -, -ܒ, -ے are Feminine :
| ܽ `bread' |
ܽ `cap' |
| ܒ `letter' |
`river' |
| ܺ `small
packet' |
ٹܡ `small
box' |
| ܛܨܒ
`make' |
ܨܒ `decoration' |
|
ܝܣے `uneasiness
|
etc. But `ghee',
`curd', ܛ `water', ܽ `pearl' `mind, heart,
mental or physical condition' are Masculine.
- Genders of
Tatsama Nouns are usually retained, the Sanskrit Neuter
gender being treated as Masculine.
In many cases,
however, genders of Tatsama words have been altered by Hindi
usage under the influence of their forms, or on the analogy
of a Hindi synonym. Thus `soul' (ܛ) and ܹ۟
`greatness' (ܹ۟ܛ) are Masculine in Sanskrit, but Feminine
in Hindi, presumably because of the final of these words-
which is frequently met with in Tatsama Feminine Nouns (like
ܺ `daughter, `ڡ `mercy', Ϟ `lustre', `she-goat'
etc). `an individual, a person', is Feminine in Sanskrit,
but Masculine in Hindi because `person' is also denoted by
ڟ and ܛܺ which are Masculine. `fire' is Masculine
in Sanskrit, but Feminine in Hindi, because of the final -
[cf. (f) above]. ܺ܈ `book', similarly, is Neuter in
Sanskrit, but Feminine in Hindi because its synonym ܽ
(derived from Sanskrit ܺ܈ Fem). is Feminine.
- Formation
of Feminine Nouns
- (a) Words ending
in the inherent - or in - form their Feminine by replacing
-or in - -by - :
|
`dog' |
Źܡ `bitch' |
| ܺÁ
`old man' |
ܺ `old
woman' |
| ܽ
`son' |
ܹ `young
daughter' |
| ܻ
`rat' |
ܻۡ `she-rat' |
| ܬ `servant' |
ܬ `maid-servant' |
| ܺ `son' |
ܺ `daughter' |
| ܺڣ
`beautiful' |
ܺڣ `a
beautiful woman' |
| ܽ
`boy' |
ܽ `girl' |
| ܽ
`horse' |
ܽ `mare' |
| ܈ţ
`he-goat' |
܈ţ `she-goat' |
| ܛ
`maternal grandfather' |
ܛ `maternal
grandmother' |
| ܈
`uncle' |
܈ `aunt' |
(b) Some Nouns
ending in - , however, form their Feminine (Diminutive)
by replacing - by - :
|
`dog' |
Źܡ `bitch' |
| ܺÁ
`old man' |
ܺ `old
woman' |
| ܽ
`son' |
ܹ `young
daughter' |
| ܻ
`rat' |
ܻۡ `she-rat' |
- Notice that
the conjunct consonants in ܺÁ and have been
simplifed and that the loong vowels in ܽ and ܻ replaced
by the corresponding short ones. Some Masculine Nouns denoting
occupation form their Feminine by replacing the final vowel
by - :
- A few other
Nouns also form their Feminine by addomg - :
| ܋ `tiger' |
ܹܛ `tigress' |
|
`snake' |
¹ܛ `snake'
(feminine) |
|
`grandson' |
ܹܛ `grand-daughter' |
| ܹ܈ `master' |
ܥܹś `mistress' |
- Some Nouns
form their Feminine by adding - :
| `camel' |
`camel'
(feminine) |
| ܽ `peacock' |
ܽ `peahen' |
| ܽ `lion' |
ܽ `lioness' |
- Some Nouns
add - ܛ :
| ܾţ `servant' |
ܾţܛ `maid-servant' |
| ܽ `merchant' |
ܽܛ `merchant's
wife' |
| ܽܣ `sweeper' |
ܽܣܛ `sweeper's
wife' |
- Nouns denoting
class or rank form their Feminine by adding - ܃ě:
| ܈ţ
`landlord' |
؈ţ܃ `thakur's
wife'
(with vowel- shortening)
|
| ܥ
`merchant' |
ܥ܃ `merchant's
wife'
(with vowel
shortening)
|
| ܹ
`scholar' |
ܹ܃ `pandit's
wife'
(also ܹܛ)
|
- Some Nouns
have altogether different words as their Feminine :
| ܺ `man' |
`woman'
|
|
`man, male' |
ܾ `woman'
|
| ܃
`brother' |
ܹۛ `sister'
|
| ܜ
`father' |
`mother' |
|
`father'
|
`mother' |
| ܾ
`bullock' |
ܡ `cow' |
- Sometimes Masculine
Nouns ae formed from Feminine Nouns by adding various suffixes
:
| ܾ `she-buffalo'
|
ܾ `he-buffalo' |
| `widow' |
ٺ `widower' |
| ܛ
`husband's sister' |
ܛܽ `nanad's
husband' |
| ۛ
`sister' |
ۛܽ `sister's
husband' |
| ܾ
`aunt, mother's sister' |
ܾ `aunt's
husband' |
|
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