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Sanskrit Pronouns And Determiners




Many pronouns have alternative enclitic forms.


FIRST AND SECOND PERSONS

The first and second person pronouns are declined for the most part alike, having by Analogy assimilated themselves with one another.

Note: Where two forms are given, the second is Enclitic and an alternative form. Ablatives in singular and plural may be extended by the syllable -''tas''; thus ''mat'' or ''mattas'', ''asmat'' or ''asmattas''.


THIRD PERSON PRONOUNS AND DEMONSTRATIVES

Sanskrit does not have true third person pronouns, but its demonstratives fulfil this function instead by standing independently without a modified substantive.

There are four different demonstratives in Sanskrit: ''tat'', ''etat'', ''ayam'', and ''asau''. ''eta'' indicates greater proximity than ''ta''. While ''ayam'' is similar to ''eta'', ''asau'' refers to objects that are more remote than ''ta''.

The ''tat'' paradigm is given below.

''eta'', is declined almost identically to ''ta''. Its paradigm is obtained by prefixing ''e-'' to all the forms of ''ta''. As a result of '' Sandhi '', the masculine and feminine singular forms transform into ''eṣas'' and ''eṣã''.

The ''ayam'' paradigm is given below.

The ''asau'' paradigm is given below.


ENCLITIC PRONOUNS

The enclitic pronoun ''ena'' is found only in a few oblique cases and numbers.


INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS


  • kat''.


For example, the singular feminine genitive interrogative pronoun, "of whom?", is ''kasyãḥ''.


Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are formed by adding the participles ''api'', ''cid'', or ''cana'' after the appropriate interrogative pronouns.


RELATIVE AND CORRELATIVE PRONOUNS


All relative pronouns begin with ''y-'', and decline just as ''tat'' does. The correlative pronouns are identical to the ''tat'' series.


PRONOMINAL DECLENSION


In addition to the pronouns described above, some adjectives follow the pronominal declension. Unless otherwise noted, their declension is identical to ''tat''.

  • ''eka'': "one", "a certain". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both ''ekam'')

  • ''anya'': "another".

  • ''sarva'': "all", "every". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both ''sarvam'')

  • ''para'': "the other". (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both ''param'')

  • ''sva'': "self" (a reflexive adjective). (singular neuter nominative and accusative forms are both ''svam'')




BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • ''Devavāṇīpraveśikā: An Introduction to the Sanskrit Language'' – Robert P. Goldman – ISBN 0-944613-40-3

  • ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'' – A. A. Macdonell – ISBN 81-246-0094-5