𑀅𑀨𑁂

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *n̥smé

Proto-Indo-Iranian *asmá

Sanskrit अ॒स्म (asmá)

Ashokan Prakrit 𑀅𑀨𑁂

Inherited from Sanskrit अस्मे (asmé, locative of वयम् (vayám, “we”)). Cognate with Pali amhe.

This nominative and accusative forms are not inherited from Vedic Sanskrit अ॒स्मे (asmé, locative of वयम् (vayám, “we”)), but rather innovated based on the analogy of the masculine of the thematic pronominals. First attested in writing in Middle Indo-Aryan, it is shared with Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe), Maharastri Prakrit 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe) and Pali amhe.

Pronoun

𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe)

1. we; first-person plural personal pronoun

Alternative forms

Attested at Dhauli and Jaugada.

Dialectal forms of 𑀅𑀨𑁂 (“we”)
Variety	Location	Lemmas	Forms edit
East	Dhauli	𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe)
	Jaugada	𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀅𑀨𑁂 (“we”)
𑀅𑀨𑁂 (aphe) (2)

Descendants

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀳𑁂 (amhe), 𑀅𑀲𑁆𑀫𑁂 (asme) — Māgadhī
  • Apabhramsa: अम्हे (amhe)
    • Central Indo-Aryan:
      • Old Hindi: हम (hama), हंम (haṃma)
        • Braj: हम (ham)
        • Hindustani:

          Hindi: हम (ham)

          Urdu: ہم (ham)

    • Eastern Indo-Aryan:
      • Bengali-Assamese:
        • Kamarupi Prakrit: 𑖁𑖦𑖿𑖮𑖸 (āmhe, “I, we”)
          • Early Assamese: আমি (ami, “I, we”), আহ্মি (amhi)
            • Assamese: আমি (ami)
          • Kamta: আমি (ami)
        • Rajbanshi: হামি (hami)
        • Old Bengali: আহ্মি (āmhi)
          • Bengali: আমি (ami)
          • Rohingya: aññi
          • Sylheti: ꠀꠝꠤ (ami)
      • Bihari:
        • Bhojpuri: हम / 𑂯𑂧 (ham)
      • Odia: ଆମେ (āme), ଆମ୍ଭେ (āmbhe)
    • Northern Indo-Aryan:
      • Nepali: हामी (hāmī)
      • Garhwali: हम (ham)
    • Southern Indo-Aryan:
      • Konkani: आमि / ಆಮಿ / ami (āmi)
      • Old Marathi: 𑘁𑘦𑘲𑘽 / आमीं (āmīṃ), 𑘁𑘦𑘿𑘮𑘲 / आम्ही (āmhī)
        • Marathi: आम्ही (āmhī)
    • Western Indo-Aryan:
      • Gujarati: અમે (ame)
      • Romani: amen, ame
      • Saurashtra: ꢂꢪꢶ / அமி (ami)

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “aphe”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 43
• Sen, Sukumar (1960), A Comparative Grammar of Middle Indo-Aryan, Linguistic Society of India, page 109.