Ayaŋ (pron.) [Sk. ayaŋ etc., pron. base Idg. *i (cp. Sk. iha), f. *ī. Cp. Gr. i)n, min; Lat. is (f. ea, nt. id); Goth is, nt. ita; Ohg. er (= he), nt. ez (= it); Lith. jìs (he), f. jì (she).] demonstr. pron. "this, he"; f. ayaŋ; nt. idaŋ & imaŋ "this, it" etc. This pron. combines in its inflection two stems, viz. as˚ (ayaŋ in nom. m. & f.) & im˚ (id˚ in nom. nt.).

I. Forms. A. (sg.) nom. m. ayaŋ Sn 235; J i.168, 279; f. ayaŋ [Sk. iyaŋ] Kh vii.12; J ii.128, 133; nt. idaŋ Sn 224; J iii.53; & imaŋ Miln 46. acc. m. imaŋ J ii.160; f. imaŋ [Sk. īmāŋ] Sn 545, 1002; J i.280. gen. dat. m. imassa J i.222, 279 & assa Sn 234, 1100; Kh vii.12 (dat.); J ii.158; f. imissā J i.179 & assā [Sk. asyāḥ] J i.290; DhA iii.172. instr. m. nt. iminā J i.279; PvA 80 & (peculiarly or perhaps for amunā) aminā Sn 137; f. imāya [Sk. anayā] J i.267. The instr. anena [Sk. anena] is not proved in Pāli. abl. asmā Sn 185; Dh 220; & imasmā (not proved). loc. m. nt. imasmiŋ Kh iii.; J ii. 159 & asmiŋ Sn 634; Dh 242; f. imissā PvA 79 (or imissaŋ?) & imāyaŋ (no ref.). -- B. (pl.) nom. m. ime J i.221; Pv i.83; f. imā [Sk. imāḥ] Sn 897 & imāyo Sn 1122; nt. imāni [= Sk.] Vin i.84. acc. m. ime [Sk. imān] J i.266; ii.416; f. imā [Sk. imāḥ] Sn 429; J ii.160. gen. imesaŋ J ii.160 & esaŋ [Sk. eṣāŋ] M ii.86, & esānaŋ M ii.154; iii.259; f. also āsaŋ J i.302 (= etāsaŋ C.) & imāsaŋ. instr. m. nt imehi J vi.364; f. imāhi. loc. m. nt. imesu [Sk. eṣu] J i.307.

II. Meanings (1) ayaŋ refers to what is immediately in front of the speaker (the subject in question) or before his eyes or in his present time & situation, thus often to be trsld. by "before our eyes", "the present", "this here", "just this" (& not the other) (opp. para), viz. atthi imasmiŋ kāye "in this our visible body" Kh iii.; yathɔ âyaŋ padīpo "like this lamp here" Sn 235; ayaŋ dakkhiṇā dinnā "the gift which is just given before our eyes" Kh vii.12; ime pādā imaŋ sīsaŋ ayaŋ kāyo Pv i.83; asmiŋ loke paramhi ca "in this world & the other" Sn 634, asmā lokā paraŋ lokaŋ kathaŋ pecca na socati Sn 185; cp. also Dh 220, 410; J i.168; iii.53. -- (2) It refers to what immediately precedes the present of the speaker, or to what has just been mentioned in the sentence; viz. yaŋ kiñci vittaŋ . . . idam pi Buddhe ratanaŋ "whatever . . . that" Sn 224; ime divase these days (just gone) J ii.416; cp. also Vin i.84; Sn 429; J ii.128, 160. -- (3) It refers to what immediately follows either in time or in thought or in connection: dve ime antā "these are the two extremes, viz." Vin i.10; ayaŋ eva ariyo maggo "this then is the way" ibid.; cp. J i.280. <-> (4) With a touch of (often sarcastic) characterisation it establishes a closer personal relation between the speaker & the object in question & is to be trsld. by "like that, such (like), that there, yonder, yon", e. g. imassa vānarindassa "of that fellow, the monkey" J i.279; cp. J i. 222, 307; ii 160 (imesaŋ sattānaŋ "creatures like us"). So also repeated as ayañ ca ayañ ca "this and this", "so and so" J ii.3; idañ cɔ idañ ca "such & such a thing" J ii.5. -- (5) In combn with a pron. rel. it expresses either a generalisation (whoever, whatever) or a specialisation (= that is to say, what there is of, i. e. Ger. und zwar), e. g. yâyaŋ taṇhā Vin i.10; yo ca ayaŋ . . . yo ca ayaŋ "I mean this . . . and I mean" ibid.; ye kecɔ ime Sn 381; yadidaŋ "i. e." Miln 25; yatha -- y -- idaŋ "in order that" (w. pot.) Sn 1092. See also seyyathīdaŋ. -- (6) The gen. of all genders functions in general as a possessive pron. of the 3rd = his, her, its (lit. of him etc.) and thus resembles the use of tassa, e. g. āsavaɔ ssa na vijjanti "his are no intoxications" Sn 1100; sīlaŋ assā bhindāpessāmi "I shall cause her character to be defamed" J i.290; assa bhariyā "his wife" J ii.158 etc. freq.