Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dъlgъ

This Proto-Slavic 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-Slavic

Etymology

Related to Gothic 𐌳𐌿𐌻𐌲𐍃 (dulgs, “debt”):

• Most Slavists (Vasmer, Trubačev, Snoj) presume a native origin, because of the mobile accent (atypical for Germanic loanwords). Machek proposes a Slavic origin for the Gothic term. Others usually consider a genetic kinship between the two, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰlegʰ-.
• Germanists (Stender-Petersen, favoured by Pronk-Tiethoff) consider it a Gothic loanword, since other financial terminology in early Slavic was mostly of Germanic origin: e.g. Proto-Slavic *myto (“tax”), *lixva (“interest”), *pěnędzь (“coin”), *kupiti (“to purchase”). Lehmann speculates that both Gothic and Slavic terms may be Celtic loanwords.

Noun

*dъ̑lgъ m

1. debt

Inflection

Though it is traditionally reconstructed as a hard o-stem, Pronk-Tiethoff suggests that *dъlgъ was probably a u-stem instead: “the word is syllabic and has the root structure CъRC-, it shows u-stem endings in Old Church Slavic, as well as, e.g., the ‘second locative’ v dolgú in Russian, and the adjective formation R dolgovój. It has accentuation of the type Stang identifies with the Proto-Slavic u-stems.”

Declension of *dъ̃lgъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm b)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dъ̃lgъ	*dъlgà	*dъldzì
genitive	*dъlgà	*dъlgù	*dъ̃lgъ
dative	*dъlgù	*dъlgòma	*dъlgòmъ
accusative	*dъ̃lgъ	*dъlgà	*dъlgỳ
instrumental	*dъlgъ̀mь, *dъlgòmь*	*dъlgòma	*dъ̃lgy
locative	*dъldzě̀	*dъlgù	*dъ̃ldzěxъ
vocative	*dъlže	*dъlgà	*dъldzì

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Declension of *dъ̑lgъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dъ̑lgъ	*dъ̑lga	*dъ̑ldzi
genitive	*dъ̑lga	*dъlgù	*dъ̃lgъ
dative	*dъ̑lgu	*dъlgomà	*dъlgòmъ
accusative	*dъ̑lgъ	*dъ̑lga	*dъ̑lgy
instrumental	*dъ̑lgъmь, *dъ̑lgomь*	*dъlgomà	*dъlgý
locative	*dъ̑ldzě	*dъlgù	*dъldzě̃xъ
vocative	*dъlže	*dъ̑lga	*dъ̑ldzi

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Declension of *dъ̑lgъ (u-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*dъ̑lgъ	*dъ̑lgy	*dъ̑lgove
genitive	*dъ̑lgu	*dъlgovù	*dъlgòvъ
dative	*dъ̑lgovi	*dъlgъmà	*dъ̑lgъmъ
accusative	*dъ̑lgъ	*dъ̑lgy	*dъ̑lgy
instrumental	*dъ̑lgъmь	*dъlgъmà	*dъlgъmì
locative	*dъlgú	*dъlgovù	*dъ̑lgъxъ
vocative	*dъlgu	*dъ̑lgy	*dъ̑lgove

Derived terms

• *dъlžiti (“to own”)
• *dъlžьnъ (“obligated”)
  • *dъlžьnikъ (“debtor”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: дългъ (dŭlgŭ), дълъгъ (dŭlŭgŭ), долгъ (dolgŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: довгъ (dovh), долгъ (dolh)
      • Belarusian: доўг (doŭh)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: довг (dovh)
      • Ukrainian: довг (dovh) (dialectal)
    • Russian: долг (dolg); доло́г (dológ) (dialectal Soyana, Arkhangelsk Oblast)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: длъгъ (dlŭgŭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰴⰾⱏⰳⱏ (dlŭgŭ)

    • Church Slavonic: длъгъ (dlŭgŭ), дълъгъ (dŭlŭgŭ) (Russian recension)
    • Church Slavonic: дльгъ (dlĭgŭ, “sin”) (Serbian recension)
    • → Old East Slavic: длъгъ (dlŭgŭ)
      • Old Ruthenian: длъ́гъ (dloh)
  • Bulgarian: дълг (dǎlg); длъг (dlǎg) (dialectal)
  • Macedonian: долг (dolg)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ду̑г

    Latin script: dȗg

  • Slovene: dȏłg (tonal orthography)
  • → Hungarian: dolog
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: dluh
    • Czech: dluh
    • → Old Ruthenian: длухъ (dlux)
  • Polabian: dåu̯g
  • Old Polish: dług
    • Polish: dług
    • → Old Ruthenian: длукгъ (dlug), длуґъ (dlug)
  • Slovak: dlh
  • Slovincian: dlùg
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: dług
    • Upper Sorbian: dołh

References

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1978), “*dъlgъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 5 (*dělo – *dьržьlь), Moscow: Nauka, page 179
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “долг”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “дълг”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 455