Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰe

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Particle

*g(ʰ)i or *g(ʰ)e or *g(ʰ)o

1. Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact
2. Discourse particle: indeed, of course, surely

Usage notes

The particle was indeclinable in Proto-Indo-European. Some daughter languages, particularly Italic, added pronominal inflection later, as also occurred with the particles *de, *h₂ew, and *ḱe. This particle could either be postposed to the word it intensified (e.g. *Hyód-gʰe wóyde “that which he knows”) or that it otherwise modified (e.g. *né-gʰí “not at all, not indeed”), or it could begin discourse in which it is placed before everything else (e.g. *gʰí … “of course, …”). The presence or lack of aspiration as well as the ablaut grade appear to have been completely arbitrary, and may have been subject to dialectal variation.

Derived terms

• *gʰe-ḱe (combined with *ḱe)
  • Proto-Italic: *hek(e)
    • Latin: hic
• *ne-g(ʰ)i (combined with *ne)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *negi
    • Latvian: nedz (“neither, nor”)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *naǰʰí
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *naźʰí
      • Sanskrit: नहि (nahí, “not at all, no indeed”) (see there for further descendants)
• *sm̥-gʰé (combined with *sm̥-)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *saǰʰa
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *saźʰa
      • Sanskrit: सह (sahá, “together with, along with”)

Descendants

• Proto-Hellenic: *ge
  • Ancient Greek: γε (ge, “at least, at any rate, only; in fact”)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ǰʰí, *ǰʰa, *gʰa
  • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *źʰí, *źʰa, *gʰa
    • Sanskrit: हि (hí), ह (ha), घ (gha) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Balto-Slavic: *ge
  • Proto-Slavic: *že (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Germanic: *-k
  • Gothic: -𐌺 (-k)