gì

See also: Appendix:Variations of "gi"

Ghomala'

Noun

gì class 1 (singular of mgì class 4)

voice, tone
(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Noun

gì class 1 (singular of mgì class 2)

deer
(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Related terms

ghì

References

Erika Eichholzer (editor) et al, Dictionnaire ghomala’ (2002)

Middle Vietnamese

Alternative forms

jì

Etymology

Attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects. Doublet of chi, most likely a secondary borrowing from the Central dialects.

The modern Central form chi is not a reflex of this form, but from a form that did not undergo lenition.

Pronunciation

(Đông Kinh) IPA^(key): [ʝi˨˩]

Pronoun

之, 咦, 夷, 芇 (gì)

what; whatever
lo gì sự ấy
come what may
anything
Chảng có đí gì sốt.
There isn't anything.

Descendants

Vietnamese: gì

References

Alexandre de Rhodes (1651) “gì”, in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (in Middle Vietnamese, Latin, and Portuguese), Rome: Propaganda Fide

Namuyi

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɡi˥˧]
Hyphenation: gì

Verb

gì

(transitive) to collect

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɡi˥˧]
Hyphenation: gì

Verb

gì

Prospective form of gè

References

Štěpán Pavlík (2017) The Description of Namuzi Language‎^[1], Prague: Charles University (PhD Thesis), page 29
Li Jianfu (2017) A Descriptive Grammar of Namuyi Khatho spoken by Namuyi Tibetans‎^[2], Victoria: La Trobe University (PhD Thesis), page 164; 240

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) chi (no lenition)
(Internet slang, text messaging) giề
(abbreviation) z

Etymology

Cognate with Muong chi.

See chi, the form without lenition and the form for the interrogative "what" in the Central dialects (both the North Central dialects from Nghệ An to Huế, and the South Central dialects of Đà Nẵng-Quảng Nam-Quảng Ngãi). Further south, the Southern dialects keep native chi with the meaning "what for" and in compounds, but borrowed gì from the Northern dialects for the general "what". In the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), a dictionary based on the Southern dialects, the entry for chi is much more extensive than for gì, likely indicating that in the late 18th-early 19th century, chi was still the main word for "what" in the Southern dialects.

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zi˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [jɪj˦˩]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [jɪj˨˩]
Homophone: dì

Pronoun

gì • (之, 咦, 夷, 芇)

Usage notes

The interrogative pronoun gì denotes a choice which is to be made from an indefinite set of things or people. Note that if gì follows a classifier, the classifier may be omitted in the reply.

Đây là quyển gì? ― What kind of book is this?

Đây là (quyển) từ điển. ― This is a dictionary.

Derived terms

Interjection

gì

An interrogative expression nearly equivalent to “What?”

Usage notes

The interrogative can be used for anything from its basic use of disbelief and surprise to frustration and fear, depending on context, tone and stress, just like the English interrogative “What?”.