Jump to content

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ьjь

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

Extending ending of archaic i-stem adjectives, effectively equivalent to Proto-Indo-European *-is +‎ *-ós. In Late Common Slavic, the accent was retracted from the ending on the preceding syllable (known as Ivšić's law). A similar effect occurred already during Balto-Slavic when an acute syllable attracted the accent from the ending, e.g. in Proto-Slavic *jьnьjь (frost) from Proto-Indo-European *h₁iH-n̥-yós (compare Lithuanian ýnis (frost)).

Old Church Slavonic preserved a few true i-stem adjectives, however, they were indeclinable for gender, case or number[1]: e.g. Old Church Slavonic исплънь (isplŭnĭ, full of), свободь (svobodĭ, free), различь (različĭ, different), ꙋдобь (udobĭ, comfortable, easy), обиль (obilĭ, abundant). In parallel to these forms, there were declinable derivatives of theirs with o-stem declension: плънъ (plŭnŭ), свободьнъ (svobodĭnŭ), различьнъ (različĭnŭ), ꙋдобьнъ (udobĭnŭ), обильнъ (obilĭnŭ).

All other i-stem adjectives were extended with secondary suffixes such as *-ьnъ, *-ьskъ, or *-ikъ by historical times. Nonetheless, in Old Church Slavonic, the comparative and superlative form of these adjectives was still formed from the earlier i-stem, e.g. *lišьnъ (deprive of, redundant) : *lišijь (devoid, more redundant) (instead of the later *lišьňьjь). For comparison, consider the o-stem *lixъ (superfluous) : *lišьjь (more superfluous).

Cognate with Latin third declension Latin -is, Germanic i-stem declension Proto-Germanic *-iz, and Greek third ι-stem declension.

Suffix

[edit]

*-ьjь

  1. From titural nouns, forming adjectives
    *božьjь (divine)*bogъ (God)
    *čьlověčьjь (humane)*čьlověkъ (human)
    *orbьjь (laborous)*orbъ (servant)
    *voržьjь (hostile)*vorgъ (enemy)
  2. From animal or plant nouns, forming adjectives denoting pertainment to the respective animal
    Synonym: *-inъ
    *kozьjь (goaty)*koza (goat)
    *gǫsьjь (goosey)*gǫsь (goose)
    *myšьjь (mousy)*myšь (mouse)
    *lisьjь (foxy)*lisъ (fox)
    *vьlčьjь (lupine)*vьlkъ (wolf)
    *pьsьjь (doggy)*pьsъ (dog)
  3. From collective nouns, forming expressive adjectives denoting excess of something
    *velьjь (great) (later replaced by *velikъ) ← *velь (greatness)
    *divьjь (marvelous, natural, freely growing)*divь (amazement, wild nature)
    *pročьjь (remaining, additional)*prokъ (remainder)
Declension
[edit]
Descendants
[edit]
  • East Slavic:
    • Old East Slavic: (), -ии (-ii)
    • Old Novgorodian: -ьи (-ĭi)
  • South Slavic:
    • Old Church Slavonic: -ьи (-ĭi), -ии (-ii)
    • Bulgarian:  m (-i), -(и)я f (-(i)ja), -(и)е n (-(i)e)
    • Macedonian:
    • Serbo-Croatian:
      Cyrillic script: -ји
      Latin script: -ji
    • Slovene:
  • West Slavic:
    • Czech:
    • Old Polish: -i, -y
      • Polish: -i
      • Polish: -y
    • Slovak:
    • Sorbian:
      • Upper Sorbian:
      • Lower Sorbian: -i, -y
    • Pomeranian:
      • Slovincian: -jy

Further reading

[edit]

Etymology 2

[edit]

From o-stems or i-stems *-ъ, *-ь +‎ *-jь. Cognate with Ancient Greek -εῖος (-eîos), Latin -eus.

Suffix

[edit]

*-ьjь

  1. Denomial, from i-stem nouns forms emphatic nouns denoting bearers of a property:
    *gvozdьjь (pin, nail)*gvozdь (nail)
    *čьrvьjь (worm)*čьrvь (worm)
  2. Denomial, from o-stem nouns (or adjectives) forms nouns denoting bearers of a property:
    *rěpьjь (bur)*rěpъ (burdock, spec. Arctium lappa)
    *solvьjь (nightingale)*solvъ (beige, dirty yellow)
    *červьjь (shoe)*červo (gut)
    *žerbьjь (lot)*žerbъ (cut-off)
Declension
[edit]
Derived terms
[edit]
  • *-ьje n (noun-forming, usually denoting manner or location as well as the standard ending for deverbial action nouns)
  • *-ьja f (noun-forming, denoting collectiveness)
Descendants
[edit]
  • East Slavic:
    • Belarusian:
    • Russian: -ей (-ej)
    • Ukrainian:
  • South Slavic:
    • Old Church Slavonic: -ии (-ii)
    • Bulgarian: -ей (-ej)
    • Macedonian: -еј (-ej)
    • Serbo-Croatian:
      Cyrillic script: -еј
      Latin script: -ej
    • Slovene:
  • West Slavic:
    • Czech:
    • Slovak:
    • Sorbian:
      • Upper Sorbian:
      • Lower Sorbian:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Duridinov et al. (1991) Граматика на старобългарския език (in Bulgarian) by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, p. 202