Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/šija

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

Predominantly viewed as a proto-Slavic innovation from *šiti (“to sew, to stitch”) +‎ *-ja, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *syewh₁-. Originally meaning either:

• per Vasmer, Trubačev: “collar”;
• per Snoj: “link, tie” (that "seams" the head to the torso).

In the past, had been speculated to have relation to Latin sinus.

Noun

*šìja f

1. neck

   Synonyms: *vortъ, *kъrkъ, *vyja

Declension

Declension of *šìja (soft a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*šìja	*šìji	*šìję̇
genitive	*šìję̇	*šìju	*šìjь
dative	*šìjī	*šìjama	*šìjāmъ
accusative	*šìjǫ	*šìji	*šìję̇
instrumental	*šìjējǫ, *šìjǭ*	*šìjama	*šìjāmī
locative	*šìjī	*šìju	*šìjāsъ
vocative	*šìje	*šìji	*šìję̇

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Alternative reconstructions

• *šьja

Derived terms

• *šijьka (diminutive)
• *šijьnъ
  • *šijьnikъ, *našijьnikъ (“collar”)

Related terms

• *šьvъ (“seam”)
  • *šьvica (“embroidery”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: шиꙗ (šija), шьꙗ (šĭja)
    • Old Ruthenian: шыꙗ (šyja), шиꙗ (šija)
      • Belarusian: шы́я (šýja)
      • Ukrainian: ши́я (šýja)
    • Russian: ше́я (šéja)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: шиꙗ (šija)

    Glagolitic script: ⱎⰹⱑ (šiě)

  • Bulgarian: ши́я (šíja)
  • Macedonian: шија (šija)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ши̏ја

    Latin script: šȉja

  • Slovene: šíja
• West Slavic:
  • Kashubian: szëja
  • Old Czech: šíjě
    • Czech: šíje
  • Old Polish: szyja
    • Polish: szyja, syja (“passage in a basement”)
    • Silesian: szyja
  • Old Slovak: šija
    • Pannonian Rusyn: шия (šija)
    • Slovak: šija
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: šija
    • Lower Sorbian: šyja

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “ше́я”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Verweij, Arno (1994), “Quantity Patterns of Substantives in Czech and Slovak”, in Dutch Contributions to the Eleventh International Congress of Slavists, Bratislava (Studies in Slavic and General Linguistics)‎^[2], volume 22, Editions Rodopi B.V., pages 511, 513