Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-jь

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

Alternative forms

• *-ьjь (functionally)

Etymology 1

Continues Proto-Indo-European *-yós and partially the marginal elative Caland suffix Proto-Indo-European *-yos ~ *-is. In some cases, e.g. Proto-Slavic *siňь, the jo-stem may have spread from the comparative *-jьš-.

Over time, some yo-stem adjectives were fossilized into nouns and some kinetic i-stems were leveled out into jo-stems, giving rise to Slavic jo-stem nouns. Another source of jo-stem nouns is from Illič-Svityč's law , which transformed neutral ap B nouns (including jo-stems) into masculine.

Cognate with Lithuanian -ỹs (under stress), -is (genitive -io), Lithuanian -ias/-jas (elsewhere), Latvian -̧s, -̧š.

Suffix 1

*-jь

1. Adjectival inherited from the Caland roots, usually with exceptional or magnifying meaning:

   *dobľь (“honest”)

   *ryďь (“ruddy, ginger”)

   *siňь (“glaucos blue/gray”)

2. Adjectival of secondary origin, attached to o-grade roots:

   *lošь (“bad”)

   *dužь (“strong”)

   *bujь (“aggressive, fierce”)

Declension

Indefinite declension of *-jь (soft)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-jь	*-ja	*-je
genitive	*-ja	*-ję̇	*-ja
dative	*-ju	*-ji	*-ju
accusative	*-jь	*-jǫ	*-je
instrumental	*-jemь	*-jejǫ	*-jemь
locative	*-ji	*-ji	*-ji
vocative	*-ju	*-je	*-je
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ja	*-ji	*-ji
genitive	*-ju	*-ju	*-ju
dative	*-jema	*-jama	*-jema
accusative	*-ja	*-ji	*-ji
instrumental	*-jema	*-jama	*-jema
locative	*-ju	*-ju	*-ju
vocative	*-ja	*-ji	*-ji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-ji	*-ję̇	*-ja
genitive	*-jь	*-jь	*-jь
dative	*-jemъ	*-jamъ	*-jemъ
accusative	*-ję̇	*-ję̇	*-ja
instrumental	*-ji	*-jami	*-ji
locative	*-jixъ	*-jaxъ	*-jixъ
vocative	*-ji	*-ję̇	*-ja

Definite declension of *-jь (soft)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-jьjь	*-jaja	*-jeje
genitive	*-jajego	*-ję̇ję̇	*-jajego
dative	*-jujemu	*-jiji	*-jujemu
accusative	*-jьjь	*-jǫjǫ	*-jeje
instrumental	*-jijimь	*-jǫjǫ	*-jijimь
locative	*-jijemь	*-jiji	*-jijemь
vocative	*-jьjь	*-jaja	*-jeje
dual	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-jaja	*-jiji	*-jiji
genitive	*-juju	*-juju	*-juju
dative	*-jijima	*-jijima	*-jijima
accusative	*-jaja	*-jiji	*-jiji
instrumental	*-jijima	*-jijima	*-jijima
locative	*-juju	*-juju	*-juju
vocative	*-jaja	*-jiji	*-jiji
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*-jiji	*-ję̇ję̇	*-jaja
genitive	*-jьjixъ	*-jьjixъ	*-jьjixъ
dative	*-jijimъ	*-jijimъ	*-jijimъ
accusative	*-ję̇ję̇	*-ję̇ję̇	*-jaja
instrumental	*-jijimi	*-jijimi	*-jijimi
locative	*-jijixъ	*-jijixъ	*-jijixъ
vocative	*-jiji	*-ję̇ję̇	*-jaja

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -и (-i)
    • Old Ruthenian: -и (-i), -й (-j)
      • Belarusian: -й (-j)
      • Ukrainian: -й (-j)
  • Russian: -й (-j)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: -и (-i)
  • Bulgarian: -ʲ(0/a/e) (with palatalization of the preceding phoneme)
  • Macedonian:
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Latin script: -i

    Cyrillic script: -и

  • Slovene:
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -í
  • Polish: -i, -y
  • Slovak: -í
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: -i, -y

Suffix 2

*-jь m

1. Nominal inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic, e.g.:

   *mǫžь (“man”)

   *moľь (“moth”)

   *koňь (“horse”)

   *ǫ̃žь (“snake”) (from a leveled PIE proterokinetic i-stem)

Declension

Declension of *-jь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-jь	*-ja	*-ji
genitive	*-ja	*-ju	*-jь
dative	*-ju	*-jema	*-jemъ
accusative	*-jь	*-ja	*-ję̇
instrumental	*-jьmь, *-jemь*	*-jema	*-ji
locative	*-ji	*-ju	*-jixъ
vocative	*-ju	*-ja	*-ji

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-jь

Related terms

• *-ь (i-stem)
• *-ьjь
  • *-ьje n (noun-forming, usually denoting manner or location as well as the standard ending for deverbial action nouns)
  • *-ьja m (noun-forming, denoting collectiveness)

Etymology 2

From verbal stems inflecting (explicitly or implicitly) with Proto-Slavic *-jeti + *-ъ.

Cognate with Lithuanian -ỹs.

Suffix

*-jь m

1. Deverbal from root-emphatic verbs inflecting in original Proto-Slavic *-jeti, creates agent/instrument nouns:

   *kyjь (“hammer”) ← *kuti (“to hew”)

   *pьňь (“stump”) ←*pęti (“to stretch”)

2. Deverbal from causative/iterative verbs inflecting in Proto-Slavic *-iti, creates agent/instrument nouns:

   *voďь (“leader”) ← *voditi (“to lead”)

   *lučь (“ray”) ← *lučiti (“to pinpoint, to target”)

   *nožь (“knife”) ← *nožiti (“to skewer”)

   *gojь (“fest, abundance”) ← *gojiti (“to feed”)

3. Deverbal from stative/essive verbs inflecting in *-ěti/*-jati, yielding Proto-Slavic *-ějь.
4. Deverbal from factive verbs inflecting in *-ati, yielding Proto-Slavic *-ajь.

Declension

Declension of *-jь (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-jь	*-ja	*-ji
genitive	*-ja	*-ju	*-jь
dative	*-ju	*-jema	*-jemъ
accusative	*-jь	*-ja	*-ję̇
instrumental	*-jьmь, *-jemь*	*-jema	*-ji
locative	*-ji	*-ju	*-jixъ
vocative	*-ju	*-ja	*-ji

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-jь (deverbal)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Indo-European *-yós (“belonging to”).

Suffix

*-jь m

1. Pronominal ending, attached to o-grade root, forming possessive pronouns:

   *mojь (“mine”) ← *mi (“me”) (dative)

   *tvojь (“ray”) ← *ti (“thee”) (dative)

   *svojь (“own”) ← *si (“self”) (dative)

   *našь (“our”) ← *nàsъ (“ours”) (genitive)

   *vašь (“your”) ← *vàsъ (“yours”) (genitive)

See also

• *jь (“relative particle”)