Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-čь
Proto-Slavic
Alternative forms
Etymology
Underlyingly reflecting Proto-Balto-Slavic *-kias, *-kis, from Proto-Indo-European *-k-yos, formed by agglutination of *-yos (Proto Slavic *-jь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ias) onto the element *-kъ.
Cognate with Lithuanian -kis and Latvian -ķis.
Suffix
*-čь m
- Deverbal, forming agent nouns.
- Synonyms: *-teľь, *-ьcь, *-ьnikъ
- *kopati (“to dig”) → *kopačь (“digger”)
- *kovati (“to forge”) → *kovačь (“smith, blacksmith”)
- *běgati (“to run”) → *běgačь (“runner”)
- *jьgrati (“to play”) → *jьgračь (“player”)
- *vьrati (“to lie”) → *vьračь (“sorcerer, soothsayer, charlatan”)
- *pogoniti (“to pursue, observe”) → *pogoničь (“drover”)
- *roditi (“to give birth”) → *rodičь (“father”)
- *voditi (“to lead”) → *vodičь (“leader”)
- *badati\*bodati or *bodti > *bosti (“to sting, stab, butt”) → *bodačь (“that which stings, stabs, butts”)
- Deverbal, forming nomina instrumenti.
Declension
Declension of *-čь (soft o-stem)
See also
Derived terms
Usage notes
- Used on verbs whose stem ends on vowels: -i-, -a- (-a- or -a/j- or -a/V-), (rarely) -ě-, (rarely) -V-
Descendants
- After the loss of word-final jer, daughter languages have reinterpreted the thematic ending of the verb -i- and -a- as a part of the suffix itself.
- In most of the daughters *-ačь merged with the reflex of *-čь which was preceded by the thematic vowel -a.
- East Slavic:
- South Slavic:
- West Slavic:
References
- Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
- Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-čь”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 102
- Halla-aho, Jussi (2006) Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology: On the Basis of Old Church Slavic (Slavica Helsingiensia; 26), Helsinki: University of Helsinki, page 68