Telugu/Pronoun
Introduction
editA pronoun is simply a word that allows the speaker/writer to refer to a noun(a word that gives a name to a person, place, thing, or concept) without specifically naming it. Examples of pronouns in English include: my, that, you, them, he, themselves, etc. In Telugu, pronouns have five characteristics: gender, number, case, person, and proximity. Gender, number and case are explored more in depth in the noun section. However, here is a brief summary.
- Gender is different in singular and plural
- In singular, the two genders are masculine(male humans, gods, and personifications) and non-masculine(all other nouns)
- In plural, the two genders are human and non-human
- Number refers to how many of a noun there is, this can be singular(only one), or plural(more than one)
- The suffix "-lu" can be added to the end of a singular noun to make it plural. Example: "Kukka"(కుక్క), or "dog", can be made plural by adding "-lu" to make Kukkalu(కుక్కలు), or dogs
- Case tells the role of the noun in the sentence. It is shown by a suffix added at the end of a noun(after the plural marker, "-lu", if the noun is plural).
- There are 8 cases
The characteristic of person, is unique to pronouns. They are 3 persons. These are 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. 1st person refers to the person or group of people that are speaking(words such as "I" or "we"). 2nd person refers to the person or group of people that are being talked to(words such as "thou" or "you"). 3rd person refers to any pronoun that is not in the 1st or 2nd person(such as he, she, it, they).
The 1st/2nd person pronouns are explained separately as they do not have as complicated of a respect system and lack a proximity system, the third person pronoun respect system must be explained separately.
First and Second Person Pronouns
editThe following are the first and second person pronouns for the nominative(when the noun is a subject) case:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | Nēnu(నేను) or I | *Mēmu(మేము) or We(but not you), *Manaṁ(మనం) or We(and you) |
| 2nd person | †Nuvvu(నువ్వు) or thou/you, †Mīru(మీరు) or you | Mīru(మీరు) or you |
*The pronoun Mēmu(మేము) is exclusive, meaning it excludes the person or group of people that are being talked to(We, but not you). The pronoun Manaṁ(మనం) is inclusive, meaning it includes the person or group of people that are being talked to(We and you).
†When used in the singular, Mīru(మీరు) is considered more formal and is used to address elders, people in a position of power, or with strangers. Nuvvu(నువ్వు) is considered more informal and is used to address people of the same age group, younger people, and people whom one is familiar/close with.
The following are the first and second person pronouns for the accusative(when the noun is a direct object) case:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Nannu(నన్ను) or me | Mamalni(మమల్ని) or us |
| 2nd Person | Ninnu(నిన్ను) or thee/you, Mimalni(మిమల్ని) or you | Mimalni(మిమల్ని) or you |
The same respect system for 2nd person singular pronouns is used in the accusative.
Also, note that the 1st person plural does not differentiate between inclusive and exclusive in the accusative
The following are the first person and second person possessive pronouns:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Nā(నా) or my | Mā(మా) or our(but not your), Mana(మన) or our(and your) |
| 2nd Person | Nī(నీ) or thy/your, Mī(మీ) or your | Mī(మీ) or your |
The same respect system for 2nd person singular pronouns is used in the possessive.
The 1st person plural differentiates between inclusive and exclusive in the possessive.
The words mine, ours, thine, and yours can be created by adding the suffix "-di"(ది) when referring to a singular noun("Nādi"(నాది) can be understood as "my thing"), and the suffix -vi(వి) when referring to a plural noun(Nāvi(నావి) can be understood as my things).
The other cases for the first and second person pronouns can be created by adding the case suffixes(explained in the noun section) to the possessive form of the pronoun, when it is used like this it is called an "oblique stem". For example, to say "with me", the first person oblique stem "Nā"(నా) would be added with the suffix "-thoti"(కు) to create the word "Nātōṭi"(నాతోటి).
Also, keep in mind that while for other nouns the suffixes "-ku"(కు) and "-ki"(కి) are interchangeable to mean "to" or "for", the first and second person oblique stems(excluding "Mana"(మన)) can only use "-ku"(కు). For example, "Māku"(మాకు) is correct, but "Māki"(మాకి) is incorrect.
Third Person Pronouns
editThe following are the third person pronouns for the nominative case:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Male human(Informal) | Vāḍu(వాడు) or him/that man, Vīḍu(వీడు) or him/this man | N/A |
| Male human(with respect) | Atanu(అతను) or him/that man, Itanu(ఇతను) or him/this man, Ataḍu(అతడు) or him/that man, Itaḍu(ఇతడు) or him/this man | N/A |
| Male human(with more respect) | Āyana(ఆయన) or him/that man, Īyana(ఈయన) or him/this man | N/A |
| Female human(Informal) | Adi(అది) or she/that woman, Idi(ఇది) or she/this woman | N/A |
| Female human(with respect) | Āme(ఆమె) or she/that woman, Īme(ఈమె) or she/that woman | N/A |
| Female human(with more respect) | Āviḍa(ఆవిడ) or she/that woman, Īviḍa(ఈవిడ) or she/this woman | N/A |
| Inanimate(non-human) | Adi(అది) or it/that thing, Idi(ఇది) or it/this thing | Avi(అవి) or they/those things, Ivi(ఇవి) or they/these things |
| Neutral gender human | Vāru(వారు) or they(with highest respect)/that person(with highest respect), Vīru(వీరూ) or they(with highest respect)/that person(with highest respect) | Vāḷḷu(వాళ్ళు) or they/those people, VīỊỊu(వీళ్ళు) or they/these people |
Close proximity pronouns are in bold, far proximity pronouns in italics
The proximity characteristic of Telugu pronouns has no direct translation to English. However, close proximity can be understood as "this/these", and far proximity can be understood as "that/those". In close proximity, the pronoun has an "i"(ఈ) sound, whereas the far proximity uses the "a"(ఆ) sound. These come from the Telugu words for this(Ī(ఈ)) and that(Ā(ఆ)).
Also, note that the neutral gender term Vāru(వారు)/vīru(వీరూ) is the highest respect term for both genders.