Wallah
Indian surname or suffix From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wallah, -walla, -wala, or -vala (-wali fem.), is a suffix used in a number of Indo-Aryan languages, like Hindi/Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali or Marathi. It forms an adjectival compound from a noun or an agent noun from a verb.[1] For example; it may indicate a person involved in some kind of activity, where they come from, or what they wear (topiwala), i.e., habitué.[2][3]
Example uses
Examples of such uses include:
- Dabbawala, lunch box deliverer
- Dhobiwallah, laundry worker
- Chaiwala, a boy or young man who serves tea
- Dishwalla, satellite TV installer, from "dish" for parabolic antenna
- Rickshawala, a rickshaw driver
- Punkawallah, the servant who keeps the punkah or fan going on hot nights
- Lep wallah, a cotton carder
- Kabadiwalla, a waste picker or scrap dealer[4][5]
- Puncture wala or puncher wala, a tyre repairer
In British military jargon of the first half of the 20th century, a "base wallah" is someone employed at a military base, or with a job far behind the front lines.[6] There were a number of other words of this type, such as "camel wallah" and "machine-gun wallah", and more.[7] "Base wallah" had a derogatory reference for a person who is seldom seen at the front lines during major attacks, pretending to be sick.[8]
There is a short story "Sanjeev and Robotwallah", by Ian McDonald. There is a character named General Robotwallah in the 2010 novel For the Win by Cory Doctorow. "Robotwallah" refers to the pilot of a mecha.
Other uses
Wala or Vala was also used in Parsi and Dawodi Bohra surnames, suggesting the derivation from a profession or a place name. For example:
Wala is also used to indicate a specific object or thing among several:
- chota wala, 'the small one'
- dusra wala, 'the second one'
- agla wala, 'the next one'
These uses of wala should not be confused with the Arabic: وَٱللّٰه, romanized: wal-lāh, lit. 'by God'.[10]
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.