In addition to the formal Aap: and the informal t:Øm:, Hindi possesses a third second person pronoun, namely the intimate t:Ü. Its forms are parallel to those of m:òø:
| 1a. | Oblique: | v:h m:ØJ: s:ð em:l:ðg:a. | v:h t:ØJ: s:ð em:l:ðg:a. |
| 1b. | Special dative: | v:ð m:ØJ:ð p:òs:ð dðøg:ð. | v:ð t:ØJ:ð p:òs:ð dðøg:ð. |
| 1c. | Possessive: | y:h m:ðra G:r hò. | v:h t:ðra G:r hò. |
Except in the imperative, verbs agreeing with t:Ü have forms indistinguishable from those of those of the third person singular:
| 2a. | l:_ka kp:_ð kb: l:aOg:a ? | t:Ü kp:_ð kb: l:aOg:a ? |
| 2b. | Vy:a l:_ki p:*: el:K: rhi hò ? | Vy:a t:Ü p:*: el:K: rhi hò ? |
| 2c. | v:h j:ldi p:hØúc:a. | t:Ü j:ldi p:hØúc:a. |
| 2d. | Ag:r v:h c:l:i j:aO t:að AcCa hò. | Ag:r t:Ü c:l:i j:aO t:að AcCa hò. |
In the imperative, t:Ü takes the bare stem:
| 3a. | m:ðra haT: m:t: dðK: ! | Don't look at my hand! |
| 3b. | y:haú s:ð en:kl: j:a ! | Get out of here! |
| 3c. | Aa, b:ðXð, y:hiø b:òY ! | Come, child. Sit right here! |
The plural of t:Ü is t:Øm: :
| 4a. | Arð kÙ¶:ð, hX ! | Get back, Dog! |
| 4b. | Arð kÙ¶:að ( kÙ¶:aðø ), hXað ! | Get back, Dogs! |
t:Ü is used when addressing those with whom one is at no social distance: animals, babies, lovers, God, and one's own self in mental soliloquy. As social outsiders, visitors to India or Pakistan have little occasion to use t:Ü (except, perhaps, when shooing dogs). But in certain situations t:Ü will be frequently heard. In some families parents address their children with it and the children may reciprocate, at least with the mother. Some husbands use t:Ü with their wives and at least the non-traditional wife may respond in kind. However, there is a tendency to use t:Ü less in front of outsiders as a sign of respect to them. Urban speakers of Hindi tend to replace it with t:Øm: and may deny using t:Ü altogether.
5. t:Øm: t:Ü-t:_ak s:ð m:t: b:aðl:að. b:Øra
l:g:t:a hò.
'Don't use t:Ü . It sounds bad.'
To index of grammatical notes.
To index of m:lhar.
Keyed in and posted 5-6 Sept 2001.