-erweise
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See also: erweise
German[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- -er Weise
Etymology[edit]
From the genitive feminine singular adjective ending -er and the feminine noun Weise. This was originally an adverbial genitive first used in Middle High German.[1] For example, lustiger Weise → lustig + -erweise → lustigerweise. Adverbs formed this way represent univerbations of genitive absolute adjective-noun phrases.
Pronunciation[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-erweise
- Used to form adverbs from adjectives and participles; these adverbs are used to modify phrases or sentences. Cognate with English -wise.
- normal (“normal”) + -erweise → normalerweise (“normally”)
- traurig (“sad”) + -erweise → traurigerweise (“sadly”)
- lustig (“funny”) + -erweise → lustigerweise (“funnily”)
- gleich (“equal, alike”) + -erweise → gleicherweise (“likewise”)
Usage notes[edit]
- A normal German adverb, which modifies verbs, nouns, adjectives, or (other) adverbs, is identical to the basic form of the respective adjective. Only when an adverb refers to a whole phrase or sentence does it take the ending -erweise. The distinction may be semantic. Compare:
- Er kehrte traurig in seine Heimat zurück. (“He sadly returned to his homeland.”) (He felt sad as he returned to his homeland.)
- Er kehrte traurigerweise in seine Heimat zurück. (“Sadly, he returned to his homeland.”) (It is sad that he returned to his homeland.)
Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Thorvaldsen, Trine (2023), “Die Etymologie und Morphologie des -(er)weise-Suffixes bzw. -Adverbs”, in Die -(er)weise-Adverbien im deutschen Mittelfeld. Eine syntaktisch-semantische Untersuchung der Adverbien mit dem Suffix -weise bzw. -erweise (Master's Thesis)[1], Norwegian University of Science and Technology, archived from the original on 2024-01-25, pages 16–19
Further reading[edit]
- “-erweise” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache