choy-poy, kitob-mitob

Echo Words: Choy-poy

Level 4

Word + hyphen + an echo starting with p or m = that thing and things like it: choy-poy (tea and so on), kitob-mitob (books and such).

How It Works

English speakers do something similar with books, schmooks, but in Uzbek echo words are an everyday way to say and so on.

1. Making the echo

  • The word starts with a consonant: replace it with p or m: choy → choy-poy, non → non-pon, kitob → kitob-mitob, qop → qop-mop. Many words have one usual echo, which you pick up by hearing it.
  • The word already starts with p: use m: pul → pul-mul (money and the like).
  • The word starts with a vowel: add p in front: osh → osh-posh (plov and other food).

2. What it means
The echo means and the like, and stuff. It keeps the list vague on purpose: Bozordan non-pon olib keldim (I brought bread and stuff from the market). In negative sentences it can sound dismissive: U kitob-mitob oʻqimaydi (He doesn’t read books or anything).

3. Endings go on the echo
Like other word pairs, the whole echo word takes its endings once, at the end: choy-poydan keyin (after tea and everything), kitob-mitoblaringni (your books and stuff).

4. Where to use it
Echo words are for relaxed conversation. In careful writing, list the items with va or use kabi (such as) instead.

5. Look-alikes
Some fixed word pairs have a second half that sounds like an echo, such as mayda-chuyda (odds and ends) and oz-moz (a little). These are set words; learn them as they are. Saying the same word twice with no change is a repeated word, which means something different.

Examples (6)

  1. Keling, choy-poy ichaylik.

    Come on, let’s have some tea and something to go with it.

    Word by Word: Come, tea-poy let’s-drink.

  2. Bozordan non-pon olib keldim.

    I brought bread and stuff from the market.

    Word by Word: Market-from bread-pon taking came-I.

  3. Menga pul-mul kerak emas.

    I don’t need money or anything like that.

    Word by Word: Me-to money-mul needed not.

    pul already starts with p, so the echo uses m.

  4. U kitob-mitob oʻqimaydi.

    He doesn’t read books or anything.

    Word by Word: He book-mitob doesn’t-read.

  5. Mehmonlar uchun osh-posh tayyorladik.

    We made plov and other dishes for the guests.

    Word by Word: Guests for plov-posh we-prepared.

    osh starts with a vowel, so p is added in front: osh-posh.

  6. Kitob-mitoblaringni yigʻishtirib qoʻy.

    Put away your books and stuff.

    Word by Word: Book-mitob-your-(obj.) gathering put.

    The plural, possessive and object endings all go on the echo half.

Common Mistakes

  • Repeating a p-word without changing it.

    Menga pul-pul kerak emas.
    Menga pul-mul kerak emas.

    Intended: I don’t need money or anything. Repeating pul unchanged is not an echo. A word that starts with p takes m in the echo: pul-mul.

  • Putting the ending on the first half.

    Choydan-poy keyin ishga qaytdik.
    Choy-poydan keyin ishga qaytdik.

    An echo word is one word, so the case ending goes at the end: choy-poydan.

  • Leaving out the hyphen.

    Keling, choy poy ichaylik.
    Keling, choy-poy ichaylik.

    Echo words follow the spelling rule for word pairs and are written with a hyphen.

How It Connects

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choy-poy, kitob-mitobLevel 4Echo Words: Choy-poy

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