What is the Etymological History of the Word "Nani" ?

The word "nani" is a term of affectionate address used for a daughter. This word is current in the southern, western, and northern regions of Odisha. Regarding the etymology of this vocative word "nani," many opinions have been expressed. Different people hold different views about the origin of the word nani.

Some scholars of Western Odisha, sensing the present-day influence of Hindi in their region, opine that it is quite possible that the word "nani" may be a transformed form of the Hindi word "नन्ही". The Hindi words "नन्हा" and "नन्ही" in current usage are cognate with the Prakrit "लण्ह" and the Sanskrit "श्लक्ष्ण" (ślakṣṇá). The meaning of these Sanskrit and Prakrit words was tender or soft. In later times, through corruption, this word gradually came to be applied to infants. Much later, in Hindi, the words "nanhā" and "nanhī" came into currency, meaning, respectively, a small boy and a small girl. But Hindi speakers never use this as an affectionate address for sons and daughters. This word is used to express young age or small size. In Hindi, or in any speech-style influenced by it, there is no such usage as an address. Yes, just as in Odisha some children are given pet names, similarly Hindi speakers call some children by the name "नन्हें", but these words have never become current as vocative address-words in Hindi-speaking regions. The possibility of this word coming from Hindi and becoming current in Sambalpuri is also low, because two or three hundred years ago, Hindi did not have as much influence as it does today. Only within the past few years have some Hindi words like "dil" and "lekin" come to be used in Sambalpuri, whereas many ancient Odia words still survive in Sambalpuri even today.

Some others say that from the word "nandini", it gradually became "nannini" and then "nani". The word "nandini" is a Sanskrit word, and its original meaning is "she who gives joy" or "she who delights." In Sanskrit, the word "nandini" is formed from the root "nand", meaning "one who delights" or "one who bestows joy." In ancient Indian literature, this word has been used specifically as the name of Surabhi, the daughter of Kamadhenu, who is mentioned by the name Nandini in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Besides this, the word was also widely used as a woman's proper name, and even today, in Hindi and other Indian languages, the name Nandini remains unchanged.

However, the view that "nandini" became "nannini" and then "nani" is, from a linguistic standpoint, extremely weak and illogical. First, the word "nandini" never underwent any natural phonetic change in the ancient Prakrit languages—such as Magadhi, Ardhamagadhi, Paishachi, and so on—to become current as "nani" or in any other such form. In Prakrit languages, Sanskrit words generally undergo phonetic simplification, such as the shortening of long vowels and the simplification of consonant clusters. But the word "nandini" never took on such a form through this process. For example, the Sanskrit "rājaputra" became "rāyaputta" in Prakrit and later became "rājpūt", but there is no Prakrit form of "nandini" that is "nani" or "nani". Second, the word "nandini" in ancient times was primarily used in written literature, the Puranas, and in naming. It was not a common word of the spoken language. In ancient India, Sanskrit was the language of scholars and religious texts, while Prakrit was the spoken language of the common people. Since "nandini" was a proper noun and a word of significant weight, there is no historical evidence that it turned into an ordinary form of address in spoken language. Had it become current in spoken language, some transformed form of it ought to be visible in other Indian languages as well, but no such word is found. In Hindi, the maternal grandmother is addressed as "nani", but this did not arise from "nandini"; rather, it comes from the ancient Prakrit "णण्ण" (ṇaṇṇa) and the Old Aryan "𑀦𑀸𑀦𑁆𑀦" (*nānna), and these words originated in very ancient times, chiefly from child babbling.

Third, the word "nandini" is never a vocative word at all. It is a noun meaning "she who bestows joy" or the name of a particular divine cow. Vocative words are generally tied to familial relationships, such as mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, "nani", and so on, and such words are very ancient and have remained current within a society for thousands of years. The word "nandini" does not indicate any such relationship, even though it is a literary word and has been used in literature in the sense of "daughter." But there is no evidence that this word ever became current as a vocative word of address. The development of words in language always depends on semantic and functional logic. Therefore, the argument that "nani" came from "nandini" is phonetically impossible, historically unproven, and semantically illogical.

Sir Ralph Lilly Turner, in his etymological dictionary "A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages", mentions on page 398 that from "najānat" (literally meaning "ignorance"/"unknowing"), many words resembling "nani" have arisen in various languages of Western India. For example, in Sindhi, from this "najānat" word arose "niāṇo", meaning a young boy. Similarly, in this language, "niāṇī" means a girl or daughter. In Ludhianvi, from this word arose "niāṇī˜", used for a sister or a "nani"'s daughter. In Punjabi, from this root arose words like "niāṇā" and "niānā̃", used to mean young, minor, and youthful. Some might conjecture that from the root "ajānat", the Sambalpuri word "nani" may have arisen, but the likelihood of this is small. It is notable that in the Odia language too, a word similar to this "najānat" is still current, namely "ajāṇata".

The Purnachandra Bhashakosha states that in certain regions of Odisha, butter ("lahuni") is also called "nani", which, like "labani" or "lahuni", is cognate with the Sanskrit "navanīta". Some conjecture that perhaps people, considering a daughter as tender as "labani" or "navanīta", called her "nani", which later became a vocative word—though no evidence for this is found nor is there any likelihood of finding any. It has been discussed earlier that vocative words are generally very ancient, and new vocative words rarely arise from such modern-era words and become widely current.

There is, however, another word from which the origin of this word "nani" appears most probable, and that word is "nana". But to understand how this is possible, we must first become acquainted with the word "nana".

Among the words used to express familial relationships in many languages of the Indic language family, "nānna" is an extremely ancient and widespread word. In ancient times, this word was generally used as a respectful address for elder relatives, and in the ancient Indian text the Rigveda, its usage is seen in the form "nanā̃", in the sense of "mother."

Its etymological root is extremely fascinating, because it derives from the Proto-Indo-European "\*nan(n)-eh₂-", meaning "mother" or "elder female relative." This root word is an imitative word originating from the imitation of infants' natural baby-talk. From the simple sounds that infants first utter, sounds like "na-na" came to be used to address the mother or the caregiver, and this entered various branches of the Indo-European language family. For example, in Albanian, the word "nënë" stands for mother, and in Shughni, "на̄н" (nān) also means mother. In Serbo-Croatian, "nána" is used in the sense of mother; similarly, the English word "nanny" is current in the sense of caregiver or nurse. In Ancient Greek, the words "νίννη" (nínnē) and "νάννη" (nánnē) carried the same meaning. In Messapic, "ana"; in Welsh, "nain"; in Persian, "ننه" (nane); in Ukrainian, "неня" (nenja); and in Russian, "няня" (njanja)—all these words derive from the root "*nan(n)-eh₂-", which shows that this phonetic form is the product of an extremely ancient, common human experience.

The original Indo-European word "*nan(n)-eh₂-" in time became current in India as "*nānna", and it was transformed at various levels within the Indo-Aryan language group to express various familial relationships. In Prakrit, it took the form "ṇaṇṇa-" and came to mean "elder brother," which shows that from a respectful address, it took on a specific relational meaning. In Dumaki, "nΛna" means "grandmother," indicating an elder female relative on the maternal side. In Ashkun, "nänī́" is used in the sense of "father's sister," and in Kati, "nanī́" or "nū̃" refers to "mother's sister." In Prasun, "nan" or "nän" means "mother" or "mother-in-law." In Dameli, "nan" refers to "mother's sister." From all these examples, it can be seen that in the Dardic and Nuristani branches of the northwestern Indo-Aryan languages, this word was chiefly used for female relatives and mostly emphasized maternal-side relationships.

In Kashmiri, "nāñ" is used in the sense of "father's or mother's mother," that is, "grandmother," which shows similarity with the preceding examples. In Sindhi, "nāno" stands for maternal grandfather, "nānī" for maternal grandmother, and "nānāṇo" is used in the sense of things related to the maternal family. In Lahnda and Punjabi, "nānā" is used for maternal grandfather and "nānī" for maternal grandmother. In Nepali, "nāni" has become a word for addressing an infant or a young woman, showing the affectionate form of this root. In Bengali, "nānā" is used to address grandfather and "nāni" to address grandmother. In Hindi, it is well known that "nānā" is used to address the maternal grandfather and "nānī" the maternal grandmother. From all these examples, it becomes clear that in the central and western Indo-Aryan languages, this word was chiefly used to address grandfather and grandmother, reflecting the special affection and respect shown toward maternal relatives in the familial culture of the Indian subcontinent.

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However, if the original Aryan vocative word "\"nānna" has evolved most extensively in any single language, that language is Odia. In our language, some address the eldest brother as "bhāinanā", "bhāinā", and "nanā". In the poet Krishna Singh of Ganjam's "Krishna Mahabharata", in the Vana Parva, the word "nanā" is used in the sense of "eldest brother":

"Ḍākivāru sinā ye Yudhiṣṭhira nanā

Hārile khele bhāi tule priyāṅganā."

This address of "nanā" for the elder brother is seen more among Brahmin families, though its usage exists to a greater or lesser extent among other castes as well. In earlier times, people of all castes were addressed as "nanā". That is why, in Dinakrushna Das's "Nabakeli", a fisherman is addressed as "nanā":

"Paṇe paṇe dele aṇṭai sinā.

Kāhiṅki bhābuchha keuṭa nanā."

Likewise, in the poet Achyutananda Das's "Harivamsha", Third Section, there is a verse addressing a fisherman as "nanā":

"Gopīe boile śuṇa kaibarta nanā

Duijaṇa lekhā pāri karidiā kinā."

Not only human beings—it seems that the Odia people alone, among Indian peoples, considered even a ferocious creature like the jackal an elder brother and addressed it as "nanā". Colloquially, whoever is addressed as elder brother is a "nanā" of this kind:

"Hauchi, kharā hauchi, biluā nanā bāhā hauchi."

(Nānābāyā folk song)

"Biluānanā ghara poḍigalā pachaku anā."

(Nānābāyā folk song)

In Odisha, again, the word "nanā" is used as a general address by non-Brahmin castes toward Brahmins. In Puri district, and in the Brahmin "shasan" (agraharam) villages of certain other regions, the father is addressed within Brahmin families as "nanā". From the Purnachandra Bhashakosha, it is learned that such an address existed formerly even among the Odia Brahmin and Telugu Brahmin families of Srikakulam, adjoining Ganjam. According to the Bhashakosha, Telugu Brahmins used to address their own father as "nāinā".

In the Telugu and Odia regions, particularly among the Dravidian tribal communities, the paternal aunt (father's sister) used to be addressed as "nanā"—this too is stated in the Purnachandra Bhashakosha. With reference to Sambalpur, the Bhashakosha states that formerly, in this "garhjat" (princely feudatory) region, some people addressed the paternal aunt as "nanā".

Further, in earlier times, in certain regions, even the head of the household ("grihakarta") used to be addressed as "nanā". In this sense, the word "nanā" has been used in an Odia proverb:

"Nanānkara pāṭhe ta nānīnkara pāṭhe."

In Odisha, again, one finds the address "nanā" and "nanā gosāiñ" used toward Brahmins in general.

There is yet another form of the word "nanā". In North India, and in the northern Odia border regions adjoining Hindi-speaking areas, the maternal grandfather used to be addressed as "nanā", as mentioned in the Bhashakosha. In certain regions, the elder sister is addressed as "nānā". In certain regions, the grandmother too is addressed as "nānā". In the Singhbhum border region, formerly, elder brothers used to be addressed by Brahmins as "nanā"—this too is stated in the Purnachandra Bhashakosha.

The feminine form of the word "nanā" is "nānī". Hindi speakers address their own grandmother or maternal grandmother as "नानी". In Odisha, however, the elder sister is addressed as "nānī". The paternal aunt (father's sister) too is addressed in Odisha as "nānī". Similarly, the housewife used to be addressed, in a mocking or sarcastic manner, as "nānī"—this too is stated in the Purnachandra Bhashakosha.

"Nanānkara bāṭe ta nānīnkara bāṭe." This usage appears in a proverb; further, "Biluā nanāre biluā nanā! Nānī pindhiachhi to chirākanā"—such usage is also seen in a children's rhyme.

However, according to the Bhashakosha's account, formerly in Brahmin families, the elder sister was called "nānī", while in non-Brahmin families, the elder sister was called "deī" or "āpā". Perhaps, apart from Brahmins, some among other castes too used this address. Over time, this address became common among other castes as well. The respectful address given by others to Brahmin women older than themselves was "nānī", as stated in the Bhashakosha. The widowed Brahmin woman appointed as cook in the royal inner quarters used to be respectfully addressed as "nānī", as mentioned in the Bhashakosha. Brahmin daughters, too, used to be addressed by people of other castes as "nānī", evidence of which is seen in an Odia proverb:

"Mallīphula phuṭilā, gehleinānī gādhoi jāiñ māmuñ ghare uṭhilā. Yaubane markaṭī ramyā. Padinānī bibarjitā."

(Odia satirical proverb)

Another feminine, "garhjat"-region form of this word "nānī", used for the daughters of Brahmins and other high castes, is "nani". According to the Purnachandra Bhashakosha, formerly, a princess or the wife of an elder brother-in-law ("jemādeī"), as well as a bride or a pampered daughter, used to be called "nani". This word was current within the Kshatriya (Khandayat, etc.) and Karan lineages of the "garhjat" region. Similarly, according to the Bhashakosha, Brahmin daughters used to be addressed in the "garhjat" region as "nani". In this dictionary, under the entry for the word "nani", it is noted that in certain regions of undivided Sambalpur, Brahmin daughters were called "nani" and Shudra daughters were called "buī". Perhaps initially the address "nani" was used only for Brahmin daughters, just as on the coast "nanā" was reserved for Brahmins and "nānī" for Brahmin daughters. That is why the address "buī" was used for non-Brahmin castes. In the very same way, on the coast, young girls were affectionately addressed as "māā" and "buḍhī", and this remains so even today. Later, in the "garhjat" region, this word "nani" became current among non-Brahmin castes as well.

In the undivided Koraput district, this feminine word "nānī" has evolved still further, taking on various forms. In southwestern Odisha, besides the word "nani", the words "noni" and "nini" are also used as affectionate vocatives for a daughter. In undivided Koraput, the word "nini" is used specifically in the sense of "daughter." That is, in undivided Koraput, if a family had two daughters, one would be named ""baḍanini"" and the other ""sānanini"." In certain regions of Kalahandi, a daughter is called "nuni", as noted on page 686 of the Kathita Odia Shabdakosha. In certain regions of Kandhamal, a daughter is called "nini" and a son "nunā", as also noted on that same page. Moreover, in certain royal families of Ganjam, the elder brother used to be addressed as "ninā", as noted on page 675 of this same dictionary. In Gajapati, the word "ninā" was current in the sense of "infant," and hence "nināgīta" refers to a children's/lullaby song, as noted on the same page of the Kathita Odia Shabdakosha.

From this discussion, we arrive at the view that from the original Aryan word "\"nānna", the words "nanā" and "nānī" arose in the Odia language and thereafter took on various further forms. In just the same way, Sir Ralph Lilly Turner, in his etymological dictionary "A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages", on page 405, also, as an English linguist, states that from the original Aryan word "\"nānna", the Odia words "nānā" (grandfather), "nāni" (grandmother, paternal aunt, elder sister), "nānā" (son), and "nanā" (elder brother, mother, daughter) have arisen. Finally, mentioning the word "nani" (nānī or nani), in a note, Sir Ralph Lilly Turner writes that it is a "term of address for a Brahman's daughter."

Therefore, from this detailed discussion, it becomes clear that the origin of the word "nani" in the Odia language is not from the Hindi "nanhī" or the Sanskrit "nandini", but rather it has gradually evolved from the ancient Aryan word "\"nānna"—a word that originally arose from the natural sounds of infants and is a universal vocative word. This is a unique reflection of affection and tenderness in Odia culture, spread from the southern to the northern regions.

This etymological relationship has been established through the researches of linguists like Ralph Lilly Turner. From the etymological discussion of words like "nanā", "nānī", and "nani", it also becomes clear how remarkably diverse the evolution of these words has been within the Odia language. From this, we also find clear evidence of the antiquity and evolutionary vitality of the Odia language, which establishes our language as one of the richest and most profound languages of the Indian subcontinent.