Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/a

This Proto-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-Slavic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. According to the usual doctrine,[1] the initial form was *h₁ōd, ablative singular of the PIE demonstrative pronoun *éy, h₁e. However, that demonstrative has no such ablative singular attested in any of the daughter languages, so that hypothesis remains unprovable.

The same PIE proto-form could have also yielded Sanskrit आत् (ā́t, “so, then, afterwards”) and Avestan 𐬁𐬀𐬝‎ (āat̰, “afterwards, then”).

Conjunction

*a[1][2][3]

but
and

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: а (a)
  - Old Ruthenian: а (a)
    - Belarusian: а (a)
    - Rusyn: а (a)
    - Ukrainian: а (a)
  - Russian: а (a) (see there for further descendants)
- Old Novgorodian: а (a)[4]
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic: а (a)
  Glagolitic: ⰰ (a)
  - Bulgarian: а (a)
- Macedonian: а (a)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: а
  Latin: a
- Slovene: a
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: a
  - Czech: a; ja (Moravian)
- Slovak: a
- Old Polish: a
  - Polish: a
- Kashubian: a
- Polabian: ă
- Slovincian: a
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: a
  - Lower Sorbian: a

References

Derksen, Rick (2008), “*a”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 25: “conj. ‘and, but’”
Olander, Thomas (2001), “a”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “but, and (PR 146)”
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*a”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 33
“а (document № 9)”, in Древнерусские берестяные грамоты [Birchbark Literacy from Medieval Rus] (in Russian), http://gramoty.ru, 2007–2023

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ā, from Proto-Indo-European *ā, ultimately a natural expression. Compare Lithuanian à, Latin ā, Ancient Greek ἆ (â), Sanskrit अ (a). Although the Proto-Indo-European form is reconstructed, this interjection could arise at any stage.

Interjection

*a[1][2]

Used to express emotions like surprise, pain, displeasure, disapproval; ah!

Derived terms

>? Proto-Slavic: *axъ (inherited)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: а (a)
  - Old Ruthenian: а (a)
    - Belarusian: а (a)
    - Rusyn: а (a)
    - Ukrainian: а (a)
  - Russian: а (a) (see there for further descendants)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic: а (a)
  Glagolitic: ⰰ (a)
- Bulgarian: а (a)
- Macedonian: а (a)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: а
  Latin: a
- Slovene: a
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: a
  - Czech: a
- Slovak: a
- Old Polish: a
  - Polish: a
- Kashubian: a
- Slovincian: ã
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: a
  - Lower Sorbian: a

References

Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “a!”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: National Ossoliński Institute, page 145
Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “a!”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 17

[EDSIL-1] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*a”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 25: “conj. ‘and, but’”

[2] Olander, Thomas (2001), “a”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “but, and (PR 146)”

[3] Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*a”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 33

[4] “а (document № 9)”, in Древнерусские берестяные грамоты [Birchbark Literacy from Medieval Rus] (in Russian), http://gramoty.ru, 2007–2023

[5] Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “a!”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: National Ossoliński Institute, page 145

[6] Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “a!”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 17