Wallah

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
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:

Amroliwala
- Matthew Amroliwala
Daruwalla
Mithaiwala, sweetseller^[9]
- Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala
Furniturewala:
- Aalia Furniturewala

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

^ R. S. McGregor, ed. (1997). The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 915. ISBN 978-0-19-864339-5.
^ Clements, J. Clancy (1996). The Genesis of a Language: The formation and development of Korlai Portuguese. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 139–. ISBN 978-90-272-7618-6.
^ Barz, Richard Keith; Siegel, Jeff (1988). Language Transplanted: The Development of Overseas Hindi. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 165–. ISBN 978-3-447-02872-1.
^ "Indian firm's digital solution for urban waste pickers". www.itu.int. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^ "Kabadiwalla Connect | The Buckminster Fuller Institute". www.bfi.org. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London, p.18.
^ Notes and Queries, 1922, p. 378
^ Notes and Queries, 1922, p. 343
^ Anand (February 5, 2006). "Reflections of a language-wala". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
^ The dictionary definition of wallah at Wiktionary

[1] R. S. McGregor, ed. (1997). The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 915. ISBN 978-0-19-864339-5.

[Clements1996-2] Clements, J. Clancy (1996). The Genesis of a Language: The formation and development of Korlai Portuguese. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 139–. ISBN 978-90-272-7618-6.

[BarzSiegel1988-3] Barz, Richard Keith; Siegel, Jeff (1988). Language Transplanted: The Development of Overseas Hindi. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 165–. ISBN 978-3-447-02872-1.

[4] "Indian firm's digital solution for urban waste pickers". www.itu.int. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-20.

[5] "Kabadiwalla Connect | The Buckminster Fuller Institute". www.bfi.org. Retrieved 2021-11-20.

[6] Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London, p.18.

[7] Notes and Queries, 1922, p. 378

[8] Notes and Queries, 1922, p. 343

[9] Anand (February 5, 2006). "Reflections of a language-wala". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2014-05-17.

[10] The dictionary definition of wallah at Wiktionary

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