Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/stāˀwēˀtei

This Proto-Balto-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-Balto-Slavic

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-, likely verbalized from the perfect w-participle[1] (Van Wijk, Stang). Kortlandt in particular reconstructs pre-Balto-Slavic *sth₂ēw-[2].

Outside of Balto-Slavic, has been compared[3] with Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌾𐌰𐌽 (stōjan, “to judge”), Old English stowian (“to stow”) (both with causative sense), but common origin is unlikely for phonetic and semantic reasons. The medial -w- in Germanic is considered (per Rasmussen) as epenthetic to fill the hiatus within *-ōe- > *-ōwe-.

Reconstruction notes

Modern descendants point towards columnar acute root-stress (except for the infinitive in Lithuanian with ictus on the thematic vowel). Kortlandt however reconstructs circumflex for the overall derivational pattern, attributing the acute in stāˀwēˀtei due to relevelling with related imperfect forms.

Verb

*stāˀwēˀtei[4]

to stand (stative)

Conjugation

Fixed accent.

Possibly originally with perfect endings[2] (per Kortlandt): *stāu (3p. sg.) ~ *stār (3p. pl.)

Modern descendants have reanalyzed the conjugation as i-present with ē-preterite. Athematic present is attested in Old Lithuanian[5].

Related terms

*stā́ˀtei
*stajḗˀtei

Descendants

East Baltic:
- Latvian: stãvêt
- Lithuanian: stovė́ti
⇒ Proto-Slavic: *stavъ (“state, composition”)
- ⇒ Proto-Slavic: *staviti (“to place, to composite”) (causative)

References

Bammesberger, Alfred (1974), “The Formation of the East Baltic Stative Verbs *stāw-ē- and *dēw-ē-”, in Language, volume 50, Linguistic Society of America, pages 687-695
Kortlandt, Frederik (1989), “Lithuanian statýti and related formations”, in Baltistica, volume 25, pages 104-112
Mottausch, Karl-Heinz (1998), “'Gehen' und 'Stehen' im Germanischen: Versuch einer Synthese”, in Historische Sprachforschung, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, pages 134-162
Derksen, Rick (2015), “stovėti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 430: “BSl. stāw-”
Ivanov, Vyačeslav (1981) Славянский, балтийский и раннебалканский глагол. Индоевропейские истоки, Nauka, page 160