< Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic
Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwaz
Proto-Germanic
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /xʷɑz/
Pronoun
*hwaz
- (interrogative) who, what
- (interrogative, in genitive) whose
- (interrogative, in dative) whom
- (interrogative, in instrumental) with whom, with what, how, in what way
Inflection
The feminine forms were likely already rare: they do not survive anywhere outside Gothic, and are obsolescent even there. They were used only when the person being asked about was known to be female. For a person of unknown gender, the masculine forms were used.
Declension of *hwaz (irregular)
masculine | feminine | neuter | |
---|---|---|---|
singular | |||
nominative | *hwaz | *hwō | *hwat |
accusative | *hwanǭ | *hwǭ | *hwat |
genitive | *hwes | *hwezōz | *hwes |
dative | *hwammai | *hwezōi | *hwammai |
instrumental | *hwē, *hwī, *hwō | *hwezō | *hwē, *hwī, *hwō |
Derived terms
- *hwan
- *hwar
- *hwazuh
- *hwē
- *hwilīkaz
- *hwī
- *hwō
Related terms
- *hwarjaz
- *hwaþeraz
- *sa
Descendants
- Proto-West Germanic: *hwaʀ
- Old English: hwā
- Middle English: who, ȝwo, ho, hoo, huo, quo, qwo, qwho, whoo, wo, woo; qua, wha; hwa, hwo, hwoa
- English: who
- Northumbrian: whee, wheea
- Scots: wha
- Yola: fho, fo, vo
- English: who
- Middle English: who, ȝwo, ho, hoo, huo, quo, qwo, qwho, whoo, wo, woo; qua, wha; hwa, hwo, hwoa
- Old Frisian: hwā
- West Frisian: wa
- Old Saxon: hwē
- Middle Low German: wê, wei, wie
- Low German: we, wo
- Middle Low German: wê, wei, wie
- Old Dutch: wie
- Middle Dutch: wie
- Dutch: wie
- Limburgish: wae
- Middle Dutch: wie
- Old High German: wer, hwer; (northern) *(h)wie
- Middle High German: wer; (northern) wie, wē
- Central Franconian: wä
- Cimbrian: bèar, ber
- German: wer
- Yiddish: ווער (ver)
- Middle High German: wer; (northern) wie, wē
- Old English: hwā
- Old Norse: *hver, *hvar, hverr (paradigm merged with *hwarjaz), hvat, hví, hvé
- Icelandic: hver, hvað, hví
- Faroese: hvør, hvat, hví
- Norwegian Nynorsk: kven(from the accusative), kveim(from the dative), kva, kvi, (dialectal) kver, kvæ
- Old Swedish: hvar, hwar, hwo; hvat
- Swedish: vem (from the dative), vad; vi, ho
- Danish: hvem (from the dative), hvad, hvis (from the genitive), hvi, hvo
- Norwegian Bokmål: hvem (from the dative), hva, hvis (from the genitive), hvi, hvo
- Jamtish: hut, hvuð, horreg
- Westrobothnian: hvo, hwem, wåm, ho, hȯrä, huri, hyri
- Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐍃 (ƕas), 𐍈𐌰 (ƕa), 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē)