Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/éǵh₂

< Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European

Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/éǵh₂

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Reconstruction

The presence of the laryngeal is confirmed by the -h- in Sanskrit ahám. Instead of the unknown medial laryngeal *-H-, *-h₂- is often reconstructed here on the basis of Indo-Iranian assimilation, but there is no secure evidence that would prove such an assumption.

Three forms can be reconstructed formally for the nominative singular, using the comparative method:

• *éǵ (Hittite 𒌑𒊌 (ūk), Proto-Balto-Slavic *ēź-, *eś, *ēˀźun, Old Lithuanian eš, Old Prussian es/as, Sudovian es, Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, Avestan azə)
• *eǵh₂óm (Sanskrit ahám, Avestan azə̄m, OCS azъ, Homeric Greek ἐγών (egṓn))
• *eǵóH (Latin egō, Greek ἐγώ (egṓ), Venetic 𐌄𐌙𐌏 (ego))

There seem to be no grounds for assuming an initial *h₁ in the nominative singular (although it is not impossible) or a final *-H in the form *éǵ. The form *éǵ is the most archaic one, with *eǵHóm and *eǵóh₂ being younger, dialectal variants. The sandhi form of *éǵ - *éḱ, with a final devoiced plosive, is attested in Baltic (Old Prussian as, es) and apparently in the Hittite variant𒌑𒊌 (ú-uk).

Pronoun

*éǵh₂ (plural *wéy)

1. I (first-person pronoun)

Declension

Andrew Sihler's reconstruction
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*eǵoH	*weh₁	*we-i
accusative	*m-mé (> *mé) ~ *me	*n̥h₁-wé ~ *nō̆h₁	*n̥smé ~ *nō̆s
genitive	*mé-me ~ *mos (adj.)	?	*n̥sóm ~ *nō̆s
ablative	**mm-ét (> *mét)	?	*n̥sm-ét
dative	*mébʰi ~ *mey, *moy	?	*n̥sm-éy ~ *nō̆s
Notes
Oblique pl. *n̥s- possibly continues earlier **m̥s- (same element of sg. oblique stem with pl. s). This n was made common to the whole paradigm, with even enclitic *nos for *mos, but the verb endings *-me(dʰh₂), *-mos(dʰh₂) were not disturbed.[1] Dat. *mégʰi for *mébʰi is attested in Italic and Indic, but not in Iranian, as 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬠𐬫𐬁‎ (maibyā). Also Sanskrit मह्यम् (máhyam) may be from original -bʰ-, as this sometimes becomes Indic -h- (even more here by dissimilation from initial m-).[2]

Donald Ringe's reconstruction
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*éǵh₂	*wé	*wéy
accusative	*m̥(m)é ~ *me	*n̥h₃mé ~ *noh₃	*n̥smé ~ *nos
genitive	*méme ~ *moy	?	? ~ *nos
dative	*méǵʰye ~ *moy	?	? ~ *nos

Alwin Kloekhorst's reconstruction
Proto-Nuclear-Indo-European	singular	plural
nominative	*h₁eǵH	*wey
accusative	*h₁me(ge) ~ *mē (?)	*n̥s ~ *nōs (?)
genitive	*h₁mene ~ *moy	?
dative	*h₁meǵʰi ~ *moy	?
oblique	*h₁me-	*n̥s- ~ *nos
Outer-Anatolian IE	singular	plural
nominative	*h₁eǵH	*wey
oblique	*h₁men-/*h₁mn	*n̥s-
enclitic	*moy	*nos
Proto-Indo-European	singular	plural
nominative	*h₁eǵH	?
accusative	*h₁mn-	?
oblique	*h₁mn-	?

Robert Beekes' reconstruction
	singular	plural
nominative	*h₁eǵ(Ho, -Hom)	*wey
accusative	*h₁mé ~ *h₁me	*n̥smé ~ *nōs
genitive	*h₁méne ~ *h₁moy	*n̥s(er)o- ~ *nos
ablative	*h₁med	*n̥smed
dative	*h₁méǵʰyo ~ *h₁moy	*n̥smey ~ *n̥s
locative	*h₁móy	*n̥smi
instrumental	*h₁móy	?
poss. adj.	*h₁mós	*n̥sós

Frederik Kortlandt's reconstruction
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*h₁eg-	*weh₁-	*we-
accusative	*h₁me	*n̥h₁we	*n̥sme
genitive	*h₁mene	*noh₁	*nos
ablative	*h₁med	*n̥h₁wed	*n̥smed
dative	*h₁megʰi	*n̥h₁ewbʰi	*n̥smey
locative	*h₁moy	*n̥h₁wi	*n̥smi
poss. adj.	*h₁mos	-	*n̥sos

Michiel de Vaan's reconstruction
	singular	plural
nominative	*h₁eǵ	*wey(s)
accusative	*h₁mé ~ h₁me	*nōs
genitive-locative	*h₁moy	*nos/*nes
ablative	*h₁méd	?
dative	*h₁mégʰyo	?
poss. adj.	*h₁mos	*ns-tero-s?

Alternative forms

• *eǵh₂óm

Derived terms

• *h₁mós
  • Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: ἐμός (emós)
• *memos (from gen. *méme, with loss of second m)?, *mewos (contaminated by *tewos, *sewos)?, *meyos (from dat. *mey)?
  • Proto-Italic: *meos
    • Old Latin: meos
      • Latin: meus

Descendants

• Proto-Albanian: *udz (< *uǵ)
  • Old Albanian: u (< *udh), ne (< *nōs)
    • Albanian: unë (< u + -në) (attest. 1462, Skanderbeg's counselor), ne
• Proto-Anatolian: *ʔúǵ, *wéyes (see there for further descendants)
• Armenian:
  • Old Armenian: ես (es), մեք (mekʿ) (< *mes)
    • Armenian: ես (es), մենք (menkʿ)
• Proto-Balto-Slavic: *eś, *ēˀź, *wēˀ, *mēˀs (< *mes)[3]
  • Latgalian: es, as
  • Latvian: es
  • Old Lithuanian: eš, aš
    • Lithuanian: aš
  • Old Prussian: as, es
  • Sudovian: es
  • Proto-Slavic: *ja, *(j)azъ (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Celtic: *mī (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Germanic: *ek, *ik (see there for further descendants)
• Hellenic:
  • Ancient Greek: ἐγώ (egṓ)
    • Greek: εγώ (egó)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *aȷ́ʰám (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Italic: *egō (see there for further descendants)
• Tocharian: (?)
  • Tocharian A: näṣ m, ñuk f (< *mne-ge)
  • Tocharian B: ñaś, ñäś, ñiś

Coordinate terms

• *túh₂
• *swé

References

1. Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 374
2. Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 378
3. Kapović, Mate (2006) Reconstruction of Balto-Slavic personal pronouns with emphasis on accentuation‎ (PhD dissertation), Zadar, Croatia: University of Zadar, page 159