I was sent a poster for a Toastmasters Internationl club meeting. It was all in either Hindi or Tamil or another Indian language. Except for the words, Good Morning Ji.
I wondered if thisis like the Singaporean la, which doesn't mean anything. It just ends a sentence, sounds friendly, conversational.
No, being India, this is more like a polite sigh of respoect. More like those missives I get which start or end, Sir or Ma'am.
Wikipedia has a long enlightening entry, giving various permutations and companirsons which other Indian languages and the use of san in Japanese. I reporodcue most of it here.
-ji (IAST: -jī, Hindustani pronunciation: [dʒiː]) is a gender-neutral honorific used as a suffix in many languages of the Indian subcontinent,[1][2] such as Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, and Punjabi languages and their dialects prevalent in northern India, north-west and central India.
Ji is gender-neutral and can be used for as a term of respect for person, relationships or inanimate objects as well. Its usage is similar, but not identical, to another subcontinental honorific, sāhab. It is similar to the gender-neutral Japanese honorific -san.
Etymology
The origin of the ji honorific is uncertain.[3] One suggestion is that it is a borrowing from an Austroasiatic language such as Sora.[4] Another is that the term means "soul" or "life" or "sir" (similar to the jān suffix or shri suffix) and is derived from Sanskrit.[5] Harsh K. Luthar gives examples of ji in Master-ji, Guru-ji, and Mata-ji. The use of ji is also used by Urdu speakers who associate with Indian culture and language.[6]
Variant spellings
- jee – Anglicised spelling, common in old publications.
- jii – example: Ánandamúrtijii, founder of Ánanda Márga.
- jiew – example: Shankari Mai Jiew in Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.
- joo – example: Lakshman Joo of Kashmir.
- jiu – example: Radha Raman Jiu temples in Bengal (Radha Raman Ji temples in Uttar Pradesh).
- jyu
- zi/zee - Eastern Bengali and Assamese pronunciation
Usage
Ji can mean respect:
- With names, e.g. Gandhiji, Nehruji, Modiji, Rahulji, Sant Ji or Shivji
- With inanimate objects of respect, e.g. Gangaji or Kailashji
- For groups to whom respect is extended, e.g. Khalsa Ji, Sangat ji
- To denote respect in any relation, e.g. Mataji, Baba-ji ("respected father"), Uncle-ji, Behen-ji ("respected sister"), Devi-ji ("respected madam"), Bhabhi-Ji ("respected sister-in-law"), Guruji ("respected master"), Panditji ("Scholar Sir")
- In conversation, e.g. Ji Nahi (No, said with respect)
- In polite conversation, e.g. Navraj Ji (Mr. Navraj, similar to how it would be said in Japanese, Navraj-san)
- As a shorthand for yes or to denote respectful attention, Ji
- To reassure that a request has been understood and will be complied with, Ji Ji
- To respectfully ask for clarification, Ji? (with a questioning tone)
- In Parsi (Zoroastrian) names, e.g. in Jamsetji Tata, or Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw
Contrast with Sāhab
Sāhab (or sāhib) is always used for an individual, never for an inanimate object or group, though the plural term Sāheban exists as well for more than one person. Sāhab is also never used as a shorthand to express agreement, disagreement or ask clarification (whereas "ji" is, as in Ji, Ji nahi or Ji?). Sometimes, the two terms can be combined to Sāhab Ji to indicate a high degree of respect, roughly equivalent to Respected Sir.
One important exception where sāhab is used for inanimate objects is in connection with Sikh shrines and scripture, e.g. Harmandir Sahib and Guru Granth Sahib.
Contrast with Jān
Jān is also a commonly used suffix in the subcontinent, but it (and the variant, Jānī) denotes endearment rather than respect and, in some contexts, can denote intimacy or even a romantic relationship.[7] Due to these connotations of intimacy, the subcontinental etiquette surrounding Jān is more complex than the usage of the same term in Persian, where it is used somewhat more liberally (though even there, restrictions apply).
As a standalone term, Jān is the rough equivalent of Darling, and is used almost exclusively for close relatives (such as spouses, lovers and children). In this context, sometimes colloquial forms such as Jānoo and Jānaa, or combination words such as Jāneman (my darling) and Jānejaan/Jānejaana (roughly, "love of my life"), are also used. When used with a name or a relation-term, it means "dear". So, bhāi-sāhab and bhāi-ji carry the meaning of respected brother, whereas bhāi-jān or bhaiyya-jānī mean dear brother.[8] The term meri jān, roughly meaning my dear, can be used with friends of the same gender, or in intimate relationships with the opposite gender. In subcontinental etiquette, while bhaijan can be used by males to denote a brotherly relation with any other male of a roughly similar age including total strangers (the female equivalent between women is apajan or didijan), meri jān is used only with friends with whom informality has been established.[7] Ji, on the other hand, is appropriate in all these situations and across genders because it carries no connotations of intimacy.
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