Hindi-Urdu has numerous expressions
which require the postposition ka or
ki with their patients:
1. ray: s:ahb: kað p:Ürð
G:NXð-B:r un:ki )t:ix:a krn:i p:_i
'Rây Sâhab had to wait for
him for a full hour.'
(from Chapter Twenty-two of g:aðdan:. See context.)
A certain number of such expressions may occur either with or without
ka ( or ki ) of patient:
2. m:ðrð s:am:n:ð
/ y:h S:bd // Es:
S:bd ka / kB:i )y:aðg: eky:a t:að
p:t:a c:l:ðg:a !
'If you ever use this word in front of
me, then you'll know!'
[ (3b) is from Chapter Seven of g:aðdan:. See context.]
When ka of patient is deleted the patient becomes the direct object or [in (3b)] the subject. Accordingly the verb agrees with the patient in gender and number:
4. B:òy:ð n:ð Ap:n:i t:aqt:
Est:ðm:al: ki.
'Brother used his strength.'
If ka of patient is not dropped, some part of the verbal expression remains as either the direct object [such as )y:aðg: in (2) or Est:ðm:al: in (4)] or the subject [such as y:ad in (3a)] and the verb agrees with it rather than with the patient. Compare (3a) with (3b) and (4) with (5):
5. didi n:ð Ap:n:i Aql: ka
Est:ðm:al: eky:a.
'Sister used her wits.'
There are many Hindi-Urdu expressions made up of a verb like kr, hað, or Aa plus some other element which never show ka of patient: S:Ø- kr, S:Ø- hað, p:s:nd Aa, etc. There are others like Ent:z:ar kr or Ent:z:ar hað which always require ka of patient. There is no simple way of predicting which of such expressions always take ka of patient; which never do; and which sometimes do, sometimes don't. For instance, m:hs:Üs: kr, An:ØB:v: kr, and Ohs:as: kr are three nearly synonymous expressions meaning 'to experience' or 'to feel'. Yet the first never takes ka of patient, the second may or may not, while the third requires it:
6a. Oðs:a uts:ah us:n:ð kB:i
m:hs:Üs: n:hiø eky:a T:a.
6b. Oðs:ð uts:ah ka us:n:ð kB:i
An:ØB:v: n:hiø eky:a T:a.
6c. Oðs:a uts:ah us:n:ð kB:i
An:ØB:v: n:hiø eky:a T:a.
6d. Oðs:ð uts:ah ka us:n:ð kB:i
Ahs:as:
n:hiø eky:a T:a.
'He had never felt such enthusiasm.'
However, a few hints can be given:
I. If an expression contains an adjective, it never has ka of patient: Q:al:i kr 'to empty', m:hs:Üs: kr / hað 'to feel', )y:ØVt: kr 'to use', p:s:nd kr / hað 'to like', etc. However, knowledge of Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit may be needed in order to tell what is an adjective and what is not.
II. If ka of patient can disappear it is more likely to do so if the patient is inanimate. Compare (7) with (8):
7. s:hs:a us:ð g:aðb:r ki y:ad
AaI.
'Suddenly she remembered Gobar.'
(from Chapter Four of g:aðdan:. See context.)
8. t:b: us:ð v:h edn: y:ad
Aay:a . . .
'Then she remembered that day...'
(from Chapter Eighteen of g:aðdan:. See context.)
[ (10b) is from Chapter Dialog DD by kÙs:Øm: j:òn:. See context.)
Since there is no reliable way to predict which expressions taking ka of patient allow it to disappear, we must rely on lists. In list A below we have excluded expressions like X ( kað ) m:øz:Ür kr, X ( kað ) p:òda kr, or m:al:Üm: hað in which the non-verbial element is (originally) an adjective since these never take ka of patient. Again the vast majority of expressions (like X ki )t:ix:a kr or ka ez:# kr / hað ) which have a noun as a partly incorporated element always take ka of patient. Consequently it is probably most efficient to learn by heart the fully noun-incorporating expressions like AarmB: kr 'begin' and sv:ikar kr / hað 'accept' / 'be accepted' which never take ka of patient and the somewhat larger number of expressions like those in list C which take disappearing ka of patient. In the absence of evidence to the contrary assume that the remainder of noun-incorporating expressions belong to list B.
The lists below do not include items already discussed:
A: Expressions which never take ka or
ki of patient:
X kað Y n:z:r Aa 'Y be visible to X'
us:ð hrdm: m:aòt: s:am:n:ð K:_i
n:z:r AaI. ( from g:aðdan: )
X kam: Aa 'die (on field of
battle); be useful' y:hi p:rl:aðk
m:ðø kam: AaOg:a. ( from g:aðdan: )
AarmB: kr / hað 'begin, start' hm: p:aY AarmB: krðøg:ð. ( from
b:ahri )
X kað x:m:a kr 'forgive X'
eb:radri n:ð Ap:raD: x:m:a kr
edy:a. ( from g:aðdan: )
B: Expressions which always take ka of
patient:
X ka Ent:z:ar kr 'wait for X'
s:B:aðø ki
AaúK:ðø s:v:ari kñ Ent:z:ar m:ðø
T:iø. ( from c:ndÓkant:a,
1.22.022 )
X ka Qy:al: kr / rK: / hað 'look
after X; keep X in mind, remember X; think of X; pay attention to X'
Aap: dað
b:at:aðø ka Qy:al: reK:y:ðg:a ( from c:ndÓkant:a,
1.14.060 )
b:dÓin:aT:
n:ð un:ki g:ael:y:aðø ka kÙC B:i Qy:al: n:
eky:a. ( from c:ndÓkant:a, 4.13.136 )
En:kað B:i
c:p:l:a ka b:hØt: kÙC Qy:al: T:a. ( from c:ndÓkant:a,
2.04.009 )
X ka Afs:aðs: kr / hað / rh 'regret
X, be sorry about X' m:haraj:a kað
t:ðj:es:øh ka b:hØt: Afs:aðs: rha . . .
( from c:ndÓkant:a, 1.16 081 )
X ka B:raðs:a kr /
hað 'rely on X; trust X'
us:kñ qs:m: ka B:raðs:a
n:hiø ! ( from g:aðdan: )
X ka ev:Sv:as: kr / hað 'believe X; trust X' hira ka Vy:a ev:Sv:as: ? ( from g:aðdan:
)
X ka s:aT: dð 'accompany X'
hm: t:að l:_ki ka s:aT:
dðøg:ð ! ( from c:ndÓkant:a, 1.23 028 )
X ki m:dd kr 'help X'
B:aI ki m:dd B:aI B:i n: krð,
t:að kam: kós:ð
c:l:ð ( from g:aðdan: )
C: Expressions which take disappearing ka
of patient:
X ( ka ) b:y:an: kr 'describe X'
ray: s:ahb: n:ð
T:að_ð s:ð S:bdaðø m:ðø Ap:n:i s:ari
keYn:aEy:aú b:y:an: kr diø ( from g:aðdan: )
X ( ki ) t:l:aS: kr / hað
'search for X' / 'be sought'
Es:kñ m:an:ð
y:h hò ek Aap: hq ki t:l:aS: n:hiø krt:ð . . .
( from g:aðdan: )
m:haraj:
( n:ð )
hØVm: edy:a ek faòrn: us:ð t:l:aS: krn:ð kñ el:O
Aadm:i B:ðj:ð j:ay:ðø. ( from c:ndÓkant:a, 1.18.005 )
X ( ka ) ty:ag: kr / hað
'relinquish X' / 'be given up'
X ( ka ) dan: dð / hað 'donate X' / 'be donated'
X ( ka ) dan: l:ð 'take X (in gift)'
X ( ka ) p:øc:r kr / hað 'puncture X' / 'be punctured'
X ( ki ) c:aðri kr / hað 'steal X' / 'be stolen'
X ( ka ) p:t:a kr / hað
'find out X' / be found out; be known'
X ( ka ) s:øc:y: kr / hað 'accumulate X'
An earlier version of these notes appears as § 17B in Hook 1979, pp. 158-9.
To exercise.
To index of grammatical notes.
To index of m:lhar.
Redrafted and posted 14 May 2001.