4. Chapter Four: Pronouns
4.4 Indefinite Pronouns
The following indefinite pronouns or adjectives usually refer to one or more unspecified beings, objects or places, though they can sometimes function as other words, depending on context. There is only one form for indefinite pronouns. A case, gender, or number distinction is not attested.
4.4.1 With animates (i) κισο, κικο(?)
The first group of indefinite pronouns are used for animate referents. κισο means “someone, anyone, any person”; with ανδαρο, it means “someone else, anyone else, other people”, and with a negative, it means “no-one, not…anyone”.295 κικο “anyone”296 is used only in Y9:
293 Sims-Williams 2007a: 11.
294 Sims-Williams 2000a: 79.
295 Sims-Williams 2007a: 224.
296 Sims-Williams 2007a: 223.
(Y 9-10)
(115) κικο πιδο βαβαγγο παρο οδο παδδιστο αχασο INP PRE of Bab debt and promise dispute μαγο αχασαδο
PROH.dispute.SBJV.3s
“no-one may dispute … on account of a debt and promise or dispute of Bab’s”297
According to Sims-Williams, κικο here may have another interpretation: “If not merely a mistake for κισο perhaps from reduplicated *kah kah, cf. AV. kaŋ he kaŋ he “of which””.298
The pronoun κισο can occur with an adjective such as οισο “every, all”, and thus convey the meaning of “everyone”:
(Q 33)
(116) φαρο οισο κισο PRE every INP
“for everyone”299
κισο may occur with a plural verb as the example (120) or with a singular verb as in the following example. In both of these constructions, it expresses the role of subject:
(jh 7-8)
(117) ωσο ... κισο αγαδο ταρο
now INP come.PST.3s thither
“now someone has come thither”300
κισο may also express the role of object. As mentioned before, there is no case distinction in the form of indefinite pronouns. These pronouns usually refer to animate entities. Therefore, in either role, whether subject or object, the same form, i.e., κισο, is used:
(xl 13)
(118) οτο κισο μαυιρζο
and INP PROH.permit.IMPV.2s
“and you should not permit anyone”301 (ii) ανδαρο κισο
In the following example, κισο is used together with another indefinite pronoun, ανδαρο
“other”. The occurrence of an indefinite pronoun with another indefinite pronoun is common in the extant Bactrian material:
(F 10-11)
(119) οδασο ανδαρο κισο
and-PRE INP INP
“and from anyone else”302 (ce 4-5)
(120) οδο μισο ανδαρο κισο ταδο ταρο χοβο ληρινδο
and also INP INP that there own have.PRS.3p
“and the others too have their own (people) there”303
297 Cf. Sims-Williams 2000a: 145.
298 Sims-Williams 2007a: 223.
299 Sims-Williams 2000a: 91.
300 Sims-Williams 2007a: 137.
301 Sims-Williams 2007a: 157.
302 Sims-Williams 2000a: 45.
(iii) δανομανο
δανομανο “such and such” is an indefinite adjective which is used only in X22. Here this word modifies a singular noun with animate referents, “person”:
(X 22-23)
(121) κιδο δανομανο μαρδο ζιγο βηλαδδιγινδο
so that INA person damage unlawful-be.PRS.3p
“so that, the damage and unlawful are for such-and-such persons”304 4.4.2 With inanimates
(i) σαγισο, σαγγισο, σιγισο305
The words σαγισο, σαγγισο, σιγισο are indefinite pronouns and adjectives, conveying the meaning of “something, anything, some, any”, with negation as “nothing, not…any”, and with ασιδο, as “whatever”.306 These words are typically used to refer to inanimate beings.
σαγισο may function as a pronoun:
(eb 10-11)
(122) ταδο-μο ταρο σαγγισο ασταδο then-I.CP there INP be.SBJV.3s
“so I should have anything there”307
It can also function as an adjective. In this case, it usually occurs before the noun that it modifies:
(J 21-22)
(123) σαγισο σαχοανο οδο οισαρο νιστο
INA claim and argument NEG.be.PRS.3s
“(we) do not have any claim and argument”308
In the following example, it is used as an adjective preceding a noun, after another adjective, i.e., ανδαρο “another”:
(L 10-11)
(124) ταδο-μηνο αβο καδγο ανδαρο σαγισο ταοι
then-we.CP PRE house other INA assets
νιστο ασταδο NEG.be.PST.3s
“And we had no other assets (left) in the house.”309 (ii) σισο
Equivalent to κισο, which refers to animate beings, σισο refers to inanimate entities. This indefinite pronoun is only used twice in the Bactrian materials, and only in the document X with ανδαρο “other” and οοσπο “all”:
303 Sims-Williams 2007a: 77.
304 Sims-Williams 2000a: 141.
305 There are different forms of one word.
306 Sims-Williams 2007a: 261.
307 Sims-Williams 2007a: 111.
308 Sims-Williams 2000a: 59.
309 Sims-Williams 2000a: 65.
(X 14-15)
(125) ασιδο μαχο αβο χανο αστο οδο ωσταμο whatever we.UFL PRE house home and estate
ασταδο βανζο οδο μαρηιο στωρο οδο
be.SBJV.3s slave-girl and slave cattle and ανδαρο σισο
other INP
“whatever we may have in (our) houses, homes and estates‒slave-girls and slaves (and) cattle and anything else…”310
(X 15-16)
(126) ασιδο πιδο οοσπο σισο παδαχþανηδο
but PRE all INP have authority.PRS.2p
“but you have authority (jointly) over everything”311 (iii) καδαμο
καδαμο is also an indefinite adjective used only in the phrase καδαμο υαρσο “whatever” in the document N. It has inanimate reference:312
(N 21-22)
(127) πιδο καδαμο υαρσο ζαγγο αζο σαμοσιτο
PRE INA ADV.all way I.DIR PN
... οιζιιανο
… injury.SBJV.1s
“In whatever way I, Samsit … cause injury”313
Like the word kadām in Middle Persian, which is only used to refer to inanimate entities, it is probable that καδαμο in Bactrian may also only be used with such inanimate reference.
4.4.3 With both animates and inanimates ανδαρο314
ανδαρο “other” is an example of an indefinite pronoun which frequently refers to animate beings. There are also a few examples of it with reference to inanimate beings. As an adjective, it usually appears before a noun, nominal phrase, or such words as σαγισο “thing”, υαρσο κισο
“someone”, or κισο υαρσο “someone”. It always agrees with its noun in number. There is no distinction between the oblique and direct case of ανδαρο, as the next examples show:
(A 18)
(128) οτανο μαπαδοαþχανηιο αζο βαβο οδαζο
and-PAR PROH.have the right.OPT.1s I.DIR PN and-I.DIR.
πιδοκο ανδαρο ολο αβο κιρδο
PN INA wife PRE do.PST.INF
“And I, Bab and I, Piduk shall not have the right to make another wife.”315
310 Sims-Williams 2000a: 139.
311 Sims-Williams 2000a: 139.
312 Sims-Williams 2007a: 220.
313 Cf. Sims-Williams 2000a: 77.
314 According to Sims-Williams ανδαρο is a pronominal adjective cf. SIMS-WILLIAMS 2007a: 191.
315 Sims-Williams 2000a: 33.
(cg 7-8)
(129) ασο τανο αβο ανδαρο τανο
PRE person PRE INA person
“from person to other person”316
This word can also occur with a plural verb, as in the following example:
(X 30-31)
(130) οδασο ι αβηιο ανδαρο πωστιγο καβογγο οδο
and-PRE ART(?) away INA contract old and
νωγο αβηιοπαρμανο βοοινδαδο new without authority be.SBJV.3p
“and apart from this (?), may (all) other contracts, old or new, be (considered) without authority”317
The plural form of this pronominal adjective is attested in the extant texts. In the following example, it agrees with its noun, στηβιγανο αζαβοργανο “freemen of Steb”, which is plural:
(A 7)
(131) οδο πισo μανδαρουανισο στηβιγανο αζαβοργανο and PRE ART-INA.PL-ADV of the Steb.PL freemen.PL
“and in the presence of the other freemen of Steb”318
It may function as an indefinite pronoun, as shown in the following example:
(ef 15-16)
(132) ασο χοβο οδασο ανδαρουανο PRE RP and-PRE INP.PL
“from their own and from (that of) the others”319
Adverbs may be prefixed or suffixed to ανδαρο, as seen in ανδαρισο “also other” (ανδαρο + -ισο “also”) and υαρησανδαρο “anyone”320(υαρσο “all” + ανδαρο):
(cp 7-8)
(133) οδο πιδο ανδαρισο ιερο
and PRE INA.ADV matter
“and concerning the other matters”321 (xe 22-23)
(134) υαρησανδαρο κισο ιαπισοδαρο ηρσαδο
ADV-INP INP ART-formerly come.SBJV.3s
“whoever else may come first”322 4.4.4 Summary
There are two groups of indefinite pronouns in Bactrian. The first group refers to animate beings, e.g., κισο “someone, anyone”, δανομανο “such and such”, while the second group refers to inanimate entities, e.g., σαγισο “something”, σισο “something”, καδαμο “which”. The form ανδαρο “other” is used very often to refer to animate beings, and, in a few cases, to inanimate
316 Sims-Williams 2007a: 81.
317 Sims-Williams 2000a: 143.
318 Cf. Sims-Williams 2000a: 33.
319 Sims-Williams 2007a: 119.
320 Sims-Williams 2007a: 272.
321 Sims-Williams 2007a: 95.
322 Sims-Williams 2007a: 147.
entities. It must be added that δανομανο and καδαμο are used only once in the extant material, and their function is not very clear. There is no distinction between oblique and direct case of pronominal adjectives, but the plural form of ανδαρο, i.e., ανδαρουανο, is attested in the extant texts. In this case, the plural form of this indefinite pronoun agrees with its antecedent. It has been observed that an indefinite article, e.g., κισο, is used with both singular and plural verbs.
As an indefinite adjective, it usually occurs before the noun that it modifies. As an indefinite pronoun, it appears in various positions.