Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/

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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

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Etymology

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Partial merger of Proto-Indo-European *-ō(n) and Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ (see also *-ō). The former originally conjugated as Proto-Indo-European amphikinetic n-stems, but because of the *ā > *ō sound change they came to coincide with the latter in the nominative singular, which lead to the suffix ablaut being lost. Why the feminine and masculine *-ō(n) sounded differently in Germanic, despite having originally sounded the same, is an open question.[1]

Pronunciation

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Alternative forms

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  • *-ōn

Noun

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*-ǭ f

  1. Forms feminine agent nouns

Inflection

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ōn-stemDeclension of *-ǭ (ōn-stem)
singular plural
nominative *-ǭ *-ōniz
vocative *-ǭ *-ōniz
accusative *-ōnų *-ōnunz
genitive *-ōniz *-ōnǫ̂
dative *-ōni *-ōmaz
instrumental *-ōnē *-ōmiz

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Proto-West Germanic: *-ā
    • Old English: -e
    • Old Frisian: -e
    • Old Saxon: -a
    • Old Dutch: -a
    • Old High German: -a
  • Old Norse: -a
    • Icelandic: -a
    • Old Swedish: -a
      • Swedish: -a
  • Gothic: -𐍉 ()

References

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  1. ^ Guus Kroonen (2011) The Proto-Germanic n-stems: a study in diachronic morphophonology (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 18), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 36-37