Talk:þonne

Splitting etymologies

Since these two words are separate in other Germanic langs like Old Norse þá (“then, after that”), an (“than”), maybe it should be noted in the etymology that they were merged? (@Hazarasp) ᛙᛆᚱᛐᛁᚿᛌᛆᛌ ᛭ Proto-Norsing ᛭ Ask me anything 07:49, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

Our current etymology lists þá and an as both coming from Proto-Germanic *þan; similarly þonne comes from Proto-West Germanic *þannē (cf. Old High German danne). Hazarasp (parlement · werkis) 10:23, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

Old Norse an really has to come from something like *þannē as well, otherwise it would look like á (< Proto-Germanic *an). So there should probably still be a note that these two words (*þannē 'than' and *þan 'then') merged in Old English (and other WGmc?) I hope I'm not missing anything. ᛙᛆᚱᛐᛁᚿᛌᛆᛌ ᛭ Proto-Norsing ᛭ Ask me anything 13:38, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

Couldn't an be a generalised vowel-initial proclitic form of *þan?. As for the West Germanic forms, the distinction between *þan and *þannē is not strictly adverbial *þan vs. conjunctional *þannē (also note that Proto-Germanic *-nai was originally a adverbial ending). If anything, the OE distinction runs the other way, as IIRC, þan, þon is exclusively found as a conjunction; it could of course be a reduction of þonne rather than a retention of *þan. Hazarasp (parlement · werkis) 01:54, 3 December 2022 (UTC)