Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/nehw

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

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *nekʷe. Equivalent to *ne +‎ *-hw. Cognate with Latin neque (“nor”), Proto-Celtic *nekʷe.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈnexʷ/

Conjunction

*nehw

nor, and not

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *nehw, *nehu, *neh^[1]^[2]
- ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *nehwain, *nehain
  - Old Saxon: nihēn, niēn, nigēn
    - Middle Low German: nechên, gên, kein
      - German Low German: geen, gien, keen, kien
  - Old Dutch: nehein, ghein, chein
    - Middle Dutch: negeen, gein
      - Dutch: geen
      - →? West Frisian: gjin
  - Old High German: nehein, nihein
    - Middle High German: nehein, nihein, nechein, nichein
      - ⇒ Middle High German: kein (merger of Middle High German nechein and dechein)
        German: kein
- ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *nehwan (conjunction)
  - >? Old English: nefne, nemne, nymne, nemþe, nymþe, nimþe
  - Old Saxon: newan, niwan, nowan, newa, neva, nevo, nevu
    - ⇒ Middle Low German: mēven
  - Old Dutch: novan, navo, nova
    - ⇒ Old Dutch: novanthoh
  - Old High German: niwan
    - Middle High German: niwen, niuwen, niewen
Old Norse: né
- Icelandic: né
Gothic: 𐌽𐌹𐌷 (nih)^[2]

References

^ Agnes Jäger, German indefinite determiners in the scope of negation, in Nominal Determination: Typology, Context Constraints, and Historical Emergence (2007, →ISBN, says: "The etymology of nihein(ig) has been subject to some discussion in the literature. Braune/Reiffenstein (2004: 254, 151) postulate a composition of *nih+ein, where *nih is a neg-element. However, this element is not attested anywhere in isolation. According to Bech (1964: 213), Danielsen (1968: 93f.), and more recently Lloyd et al. (1998: 562f.), nih-/neh- can be linked to Indogermanic *ne-kʷe 'and not'."
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Gerhard Köbler's Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch derives Olg High German nihein and Gothic nih from Proto-Germanic nehw and derives that from PIE *nekʷe, which it notations *neku̯e.

[1] Agnes Jäger, German indefinite determiners in the scope of negation, in Nominal Determination: Typology, Context Constraints, and Historical Emergence (2007, →ISBN, says: "The etymology of nihein(ig) has been subject to some discussion in the literature. Braune/Reiffenstein (2004: 254, 151) postulate a composition of *nih+ein, where *nih is a neg-element. However, this element is not attested anywhere in isolation. According to Bech (1964: 213), Danielsen (1968: 93f.), and more recently Lloyd et al. (1998: 562f.), nih-/neh- can be linked to Indogermanic *ne-kʷe 'and not'."

[GK-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Gerhard Köbler's Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch derives Olg High German nihein and Gothic nih from Proto-Germanic nehw and derives that from PIE *nekʷe, which it notations *neku̯e.

[1]

[2]