gì
See also: Appendix:Variations of "gi"
Middle Vietnamese edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
Pronoun edit
Descendants edit
- Vietnamese: gì
References edit
Namuyi edit
Etymology 1 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
gì
- (transitive) to collect
Etymology 2 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
gì
- Prospective form of gè
References edit
Vietnamese edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Vietnamese gì. Related to chi; cognate with Muong chi.
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [zi˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [jɪj˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [jɪj˨˩]
- Homophone: dì
Pronoun edit
Usage notes edit
- 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.
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
Interjection edit
gì
- An interrogative expression nearly equivalent to “What?”
Usage notes edit
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?”.