Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-a

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

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ā, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂. Compare Lithuanian -a, Latvian -a.

Suffix

*-a f

1. forms female equivalents to masculine nouns

   ‎*bratranъ (“son of brother”) + ‎*-a → ‎*bratrana (“daughter of brother”)

   ‎*õrbъ (“(male) servant, slave”) + ‎*-a → ‎*ōrbà (“(female) servant, slave”)

   ‎*aščerъ (“(male) lizard”) + ‎*-a → ‎*aščera (“(female) lizard”)

2. forms abstract nouns (later often concreted) from verbs

   ‎*korìti (“to force humility, submission”) + ‎*-a → ‎*kara (“punishment”)

   ‎*bornìti (“to defend”) + ‎*-a → ‎*bōrnà／*bornà (“defence; gate”)

   ‎*trāvìti (“to use, to eat”) + ‎*-a → ‎*trāvà (“fodder; grass”)

3. (rare) forms abstract nouns (later often concreted) from adjectives

   ‎Proto-Indo-European *weh₁ros (“true”) + ‎*-a → ‎*vě̀ra (“belief, faith”)

   ‎*rȗdъ (“red, rufous, russet”) + ‎*-a → ‎*rudà (“ore”)

4. (rare) forms collective nouns from nouns

   ‎*gȍspodь (“lord; master; host”) + ‎*-a → ‎*gospoda (“lords; masters; hosts”)

   ‎*čь̃rvь／*čь̑rvь (“larva”) + ‎*-a → ‎*čьrva (“larvas”)

5. (rare) forms nouns denoting animals from interjections

   ‎Proto-Indo-European *keh₂w-o-s + ‎*-a → ‎*kava (“jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)”)

Suffix

*-a m

1. (rare) forms nouns from verbs

   ‎*běťi (“to run”) + ‎*-a → ‎*běga (“runner, escaper”)

   ‎*břuzgati (“to splash; to mumble, to mutter, to murmur”) + ‎*-a → ‎*břuzga (“nag, moaner, crybaby”)

Declension

Declension of *-a (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-a	*-ě	*-y
genitive	*-y	*-u	*-ъ
dative	*-ě	*-ama	*-amъ
accusative	*-ǫ	*-ě	*-y
instrumental	*-ojǫ, *-ǫ**	*-ama	*-ami
locative	*-ě	*-u	*-asъ, *-axъ*
vocative	*-o	*-ě	*-y

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** 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).

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-a

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -а (-a)
    • Old Ruthenian: -а (-a)
      • Belarusian: -а (-a)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: -а (-a)
      • Ukrainian: -а (-a)
    • Russian: -а (-a)
  • Old Novgorodian: -а (-a)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: -а (-a)

    Glagolitic script: -ⰰ (-a)

  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -а

    Latin script: -a

  • Slovene: -a (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: -a
    • Czech: -a
  • Old Polish: -a
    • Polish: -a
    • Silesian: -a, -ŏ
  • Old Slovak: -a
    • Pannonian Rusyn: -а (-a)
    • Slovak: -a
  • Polabian: -ă
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: -a
    • Slovincian: -a
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: -a
    • Upper Sorbian: -a