Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/źnōˀtei
 | 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
From Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-. Latvian and Lithuanian unambigously reflect Balto-Slavic *ā, which cannot be reconciled easily with the Indo-European *h₃.
Verb
*źnōˀtei[1][2]
- to know
Reconstruction notes
The Baltic and Slavic forms do not exactly agree, as the Slavic form is missing the short i that is present in the Baltic forms.
Derksen explains, citing Kortlandt:
- Baltic from the (zero grade) nasal-infixed present Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥néh₃ti.
- Slavic from the aorist stem Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéh₃t.
Dialectal Latvian zinim, zinit (for standard zinām, zināt), Old Prussian posinnimai (“we confess”, 1pl) according to Kortlandt show the PIE ablaut alternation between the singular -neh₂- [sic -neh₃-?] and the plural -nh₂- in the nasal present (see the paradigm at *ǵn̥néh₃ti).
Karulis proposes a simplistic (and likely outdated) theory that dialectal Latvian zīt (“to know”), Lithuanian žinti (prefixed forms still in common use: pazīt (“to recognize”), pažinti (“id”)) should be treated as primary and the "thematic" zināt/žinoti as their iterative derivations, either way both from PIE zero grade.
Descendants
- Latgalian: zynuot
- Latvian: zinât
- Lithuanian: žinóti
- Proto-Slavic: *znàti (see there for further descendants)
References
- Derksen, Rick (2008), “*znàti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 546: “*źn-/*źin-”
- Derksen, Rick (2015), “žinoti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 519: “*źinaʔ-; *źinʔ-”