Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ōną

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From two sources, both reflecting earlier *-ōjaną:

  • From Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti, an innovated compound suffix from *-éh₂ (eh₂-stem noun suffix) + *-yéti (verbal suffix). These were originally formed as denominative verbs from ō-stem nouns. When attached to thematic (a-stem) nouns, the thematic vowel was also retained, but the resulting compound suffix *-eyé- became part of the first weak class instead.
  • From Proto-Indo-European *-(e)h₂yéti, an innovated compound suffix from *-(e)h₂ti (factitive verb suffix) which was originally athematic, but later extended with the thematic present suffix *-yéti.

Cognates include Latin -āre (the whole first conjugation in the present) together with its Proto-Italic ancestor *-āō, Ancient Greek -άω (-áō, contracted verb), -अयति (-ayati) (for the causative in Sanskrit), Proto-Celtic *-āti and Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ā́ˀtei (whence the infinite Proto-Slavic *-ati, referring again to the whole conjugation).

Note that Ringe (2017) reconstructs this suffix with a trimoric vowel, *-ôną (or, following his own conventions, *-ō̄ną). See Ringe (2017: 160).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

*-ōną

  1. Suffix of the infinitive. Creates denominative verbs from nouns.
  2. Suffix of the infinitive. Creates factitive verbs from adjectives.

Inflection

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Descendants

[edit]

This class eventually became the dominant and most productive verb class in all daughter languages.

  • Proto-West Germanic: *-ōn
    • Old English: -ian
      • Middle English: -ien, -en
        • Scots: -e (obsolete)
        • English: -en, -e (obsolete)
    • Old Frisian: -ia
      • North Frisian: -je
      • Saterland Frisian: -je
      • West Frisian: -je
    • Old Saxon: -ōn, -oian
      • Middle Low German: -en
        • Low German: -en
    • Old Dutch: -on
    • Old High German: -ōn
      • Middle High German: -en
  • Proto-Norse:
    • Old Norse: -a
      • Danish: -e
      • Icelandic: -a
      • Faroese: -a
      • Norwegian:
        Norwegian Nynorsk: -e, -a
      • Old Swedish: -a
        • Swedish: -a
  • Gothic: -𐍉𐌽 (-ōn)