hu
Translingual
English
Etymology
Clipping of human, first offered for usage by Mikhail Epstein, professor of cultural theory at Emory University (in 2003).[1]
Pronoun
hu (third-person singular, nominative case, reflexive huself) (epicene, nonstandard)
- (neologism) they (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.
- 2002 January 3, Bryan T. McMahon, quoting Sasha Newborn, “A terrible book”, in The Ponchatoula Times, page 7:
- Hu is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in hus solutions of each and all a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension preternatural.
- 2003 October 14, Mikhail Epstein, “"Hu," from "human," as a gender-neutral pronoun”, in (Usenet), message-ID <f732cdb7.0310141153.6c715df8@posting.google.com>:
- When the lecturer arrives, hu will be speaking on the topic of anonymity.
- 2007 November 29, Mikhail Epstein, “hu”, in International Society for Universal Dialog, archived from the original on 2 January 2012:
- It's the vice-president's job to support the president and take hus place when hu is away.
- 2008 March, Christoph Hitz, “Hu, Me?”, in Mother Jones, →ISSN:
- Maybe, but if his/herstory's any guide, hu has hu work cut out for hu.
- (neologism) them (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns him and her.
- 2006, Perry Anderson with Glenn Burgess, edited by D. N. DeLuna, The Political Imagination in History: Essays Concerning J.G.A. Pocock, Owlworks, →ISBN, page 175:
- One of his favorite metaphors for the historian, drawn from the "Preface" to Hegel's Philosophy of Right, likens hu to the owl of Minerva, whose flight at dusk provided the setting for mature reflection on the day that had passed.
- (neologism) their (singular). Gender-neutral third-person singular possessive adjective, coordinate with his and her.
- 2006 November 17, Rob Kyff, “Hu Joins Heesh As Neutral Pronoun”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 5 March 2016:
- If hu doesn't do hu homework, I will fail hu.
Derived terms
- huself
See also
- other attested gender-neutral pronouns
References
- “Archived copy”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), 2017 December 2 (last accessed), archived from the original on 18 November 2020
Anagrams
Abau
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hu/
References
- transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66
Acehnese
Etymology
Possible Austroasiatic origin. Compare with Bahnar huur
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /hu/
Ainu
Verb
hu (Kana spelling フ)
Conjugation
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
1st-person | k(u)=hu | hu=as |
2nd-person | e=hu | eci=hu |
3rd-person | hu | hu |
4th-person | hu=an | hu=an |
†1st-person plurals are exclusive. Inclusive 1st-person plurals are denoted by 4th-person.
†4th-person: indefinite person, 1st-person inclusive plural, logophorical person, 2nd-person honorific, etc.
See Ainu grammar.
References
- John Batchelor (1905) An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language), Tokyo, London: Methodist Publishing House; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner Co., page 133, available online here
- 木村きみ (1969) “21-2 ウエペケㇾ「アサハ セタネ イカㇻ」(姉が私を犬にした)”, in 第2年次調査研究報告書3/3, 文化庁 アイヌ語の保存・継承に必要なアーカイブ化に関する調査研究事業, published 2015年3月
- 貝澤とぅるしの (1969) “2-2 ウエペケㇾ「ランコ カッケマッ」(桂の木の女神)”, in 第2年次調査研究報告書1/3, 文化庁 アイヌ語の保存・継承に必要なアーカイブ化に関する調査研究事業, published 2015年3月
Akan
Pronunciation
- Tone: L[1]
References
- Kotey, Paul A. (1998). Twi-English/English-Twi Dictionary. New York: Hippocrene Books. →ISBN
- Christaller, Johann Gottlieb (1881) “hũ”, in A Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language Called Tshi (Chwee, Tw̌i), Basel, pages 192–193
Albanian
Etymology
From Proto-Albanian *skuna < *skuja + *-na, from Proto-Indo-European *skuy-os < *skwey-.
Compare Norwegian/Faroese skon (“snout”)), from Proto-Indo-European *skewd-.[1] More at hedh.
Noun
hu m (plural hunj, definite huri, definite plural hunjtë)
Related terms
References
- Adam Hyllested, “Albanian hundë ‘nose’ and Faroese, SW Norwegian skon ‘snout’”, in Proceedings of the 23rd Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference (Bremen: Hempen, 2012), 73-81.
Central Mazahua
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /w/
Chamorro
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku. Cognates include Javanese aku and Indonesian aku.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hu/
Usage notes
- hu is used solely as a subject of a transitive verb, while yoʼ is used either as a subject of an intransitive verb or an object of a transitive verb.
See also
hu-type pronouns | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural inclusive | plural exclusive | |
1st person | hu | ta | in |
2nd person | un | en | |
3rd person | ha | ma | |
yoʼ-type pronouns | |||
singular | plural inclusive | plural exclusive | |
1st person | yoʼ | hit | ham |
2nd person | hao | hamyo | |
3rd person | gueʼ | siha | |
emphatic pronouns | |||
singular | plural inclusive | plural exclusive | |
1st person | guahu | hita | hami |
2nd person | hagu | hamyo | |
3rd person | guiya | siha |
Chibcha
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hu/
References
- Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.
Danish
Etymology 1
From Old Norse hugr, from Proto-Germanic *hugiz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈhuˀ]
Derived terms
- hukommelse
- husvale
- ihukomme
- komme i hu
References
“hu,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈhuˀ]
Etymology 3
Onomatopoetic.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈhuː]
References
“hu,1” in Den Danske Ordbog
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [hu]
- Hyphenation: hu
Interjection
hu
German
Hungarian
Etymology
An onomatopoeia.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈhu]
- Rhymes: -hu
Interjection
hu
Further reading
- (frightening someone or expressing horror): hu in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
- (imitating a dog): hu in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
Lower Sorbian
Maltese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /u/ (between consonants)
- IPA(key): /w/ (before or after a vowel)
- IPA(key): /uː/ (when strongly stressed)
- Homophone: u
Mandarin
Romanization
hu
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Middle Dutch
Middle English
Norwegian Bokmål
Alternative forms
Norwegian Nynorsk
References
- “hu” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hwō. Cognate with Old Frisian hū, Old Saxon hū (Dutch hoe), Old High German wuo.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /xuː/, [huː]
Adverb
hū
- how, in all senses, including:
- to what degree
- Hū eald is þīn dohtor?
- How old is your daughter?
- Hū miċel gold hæfst þū on þē?
- How much gold do you have on you?
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
- Hū be mete? hū swīðe lyst þē þæs?
- How about food? How much dost thou desire that?
- in what manner
- Hū sæġþ man þæt on Englisċ?
- How do you say that in English?
- Hū færest þū?
- How are you? (Literally: "How are you faring?")
- in what state
- Hū wæs þīn dæġ?
- How was your day?
- Þū canst Ælfrēd cyning? Hū is hē?
- You know King Alfred? What is he like?
- to what degree
- used in exclamations
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
- Ēalā hū gōd mann!
- Oh, what a good person!
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
- used to introduce negative rhetorical questions
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
- Hū, ne eart þū sē mann þe on mīnre scōle wǣre āfēded and ġelǣred?
- Aren't you the person who was raised and taught in my school?
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
Descendants
Conjunction
hū
- how, in all senses:
- in what manner
- Iċ leornode hū man wæġn ġebētt.
- I learned how to repair a wagon.
- Hīe āscodon hū hīe helpan meahten.
- They asked how they could help.
- that, the fact that (introducing direct statements)
- Iċ him sæġde hū iċ wǣre æt hām ealne dæġ and ne ġehīerde nāwiht.
- I told them how I'd been at home all day and hadn't heard a thing.
- Þæt is tō wundriġenne hū hīe þā bryċġe swā hrædlīċe ġefyldon.
- It's amazing how they completed the bridge so quickly.
- in what manner
Old French
Etymology
Onomatopoeic.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hy/
Interjection
hu
- a shouting noise made when pursuing someone or something
References
- Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (hu)
- hu on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hwō.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /huː/
Adverb
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hu
Conjunction
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hu
Synonyms
Sumerian
Yanomamö
References
- Lizot, Jacques (2004) Diccionario enciclopédico de la lengua yãnomãmɨ (in Spanish), Vicariato apostólico de Puerto Ayacucho, →ISBN
Zou
Etymology
From Proto-Kuki-Chin *khuu, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kəw-n/t. Cognates include Chinese 荤 (hūn) and Burmese ခိုး (hkui:).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hu˧/
References
- Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40