Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fōr
Proto-Germanic
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *ph₂wṓr, earlier *péh₂wōr, collective of *péh₂wr̥.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɸɔːr/
Noun
*fōr n
- fire
- Synonyms: *ailą, *ailidaz, *uzjǭ
Inflection
The original heteroclitic alternation of r/n is preserved.
Simms posits several stages of development of this word. Since no single paradigm can be asserted for Proto-Germanic at any given point in time, the developments are detailed below.
Paradigm 1: The original paradigm as inherited from PIE.
paradigm 1Declension of *fōr (paradigm 1) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | ||
nominative | *fōr | |
vocative | *fōr | |
accusative | *fōr | |
genitive | *funiz | |
dative | *funi | |
instrumental | *funē |
Paradigm 2: An alternative paradigm was later formed based on the stem *fu- and regular n-stem endings. The two formations coexisted side by side for a period.
paradigm 2Declension of *fōr (paradigm 2) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | ||
nominative | *fōr | |
vocative | *fōr | |
accusative | *fōr | |
genitive | *fuiniz | |
dative | *fuini | |
instrumental | *fuinē |
Paradigm 3: At a certain point in time, the two paradigms above were blended, attaching n-stem endings to the stem *fun-. Paradigm 1 was lost after that, paradigms 2 and 3 continued to exist side by side.
paradigm 3Declension of *fōr (paradigm 3) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | ||
nominative | *fōr | |
vocative | *fōr | |
accusative | *fōr | |
genitive | *funiniz | |
dative | *funini | |
instrumental | *funinē |
After the above stages, paradigms 2 and 3 finally split. In paradigm 2 the -r- was generalised to all forms, creating *fōr, *fuïr-, which is found in North and West Germanic. In paradigm 3, the -n- was generalised to the nominative, creating *fōn, *funin- as found in Gothic and in the Old Norse form funi.
Descendants
- Proto-West Germanic: *fuir
- Old English: fȳr
- Middle English: fyr, fier, vir, fer, fur
- English: fire
- → Japanese: ファイヤー (faiyā)
- Sranan Tongo: faya
- Scots: fyre, feier
- Yola: vire, vier
- English: fire
- Middle English: fyr, fier, vir, fer, fur
- Old Frisian: fiūr, fiōr
- Saterland Frisian: Fjúur
- West Frisian: fjoer
- Old Saxon: fiur
- Middle Low German: vǖr
- German Low German: Füür, Füer, Für
- Plautdietsch: Fia
- Middle Low German: vǖr
- Old Dutch: fuïr
- Middle Dutch: vuur
- Dutch: vuur
- Afrikaans: vuur
- Javindo: vier
- Jersey Dutch: vuer, vîr
- Negerhollands: vuur, fi, vier
- Skepi Creole Dutch: fir
- Limburgish: vuur
- West Flemish: vier
- Zealandic: vier
- Dutch: vuur
- Middle Dutch: vuur
- Old High German: fuïr (early), fiur
- Middle High German: viur, viwer, viuwer
- Alemannic German: Füür
- Alsatian: Fiir
- Swabian: Feier, Fuiet, Fuur, Feiar
- Walser: fir
- Bavarian: Faia
- Cimbrian: vôar, bôar, vaür
- Mòcheno: vaier
- Central Franconian: Füür, Feier, Fouer
- Hunsrik: Feier, fayer
- German: Feuer
- East Central German:
- Silesian German: Feier
- Rhine Franconian:
- Palatine German: Faia
- Pennsylvania German: Feier
- Luxembourgish: Feier
- Vilamovian: faojer
- Yiddish: פֿײַער (fayer)
- Alemannic German: Füür
- Middle High German: viur, viwer, viuwer
- Old English: fȳr
- Old Norse: fúrr, fýr, fýrir, funi
- Icelandic: fúr, fýr, fýri, funi
- Faroese: fýrur
- Norn: foni
- Norwegian: fyr
- Swedish: fyr
- Old Danish: für
- Danish: fyr
- Westrobothnian: fyr
- Gothic: 𐍆𐍉𐌽 (fōn)
- → Portuguese: fona
Further reading
- Ringe, Donald (2006) From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
- Douglas P.A. Simms - The Words for "Fire" in Germanic, 2009