Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-kati

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

Alternative forms

(after a consonant) *-ьkati / *-ьcati
(assimilated form, with voiced */k/): *-gati

Etymology

In Proto-Slavic, and probably Proto-Indo-European, many onomatopoeic sounds ended in */k/; for example:

*bьlkъ! → *bьlkati, *bьlčǫ/bьlkajǫ (“to sound like a blazing fire or boiling water; to babble, chatter”)
post-PIE *plāk- (“to beat, whip”) → *plakati, *plačǫ (sę) (“to beat, whip (oneself), cry, lament”)

This caused the suffix *-k- to be reinterpreted as having expressive/onomatopoeic meaning.

Cognate with Lithuanian -ke-, -kėti, Latin -ic- (as in e.g. fod-ic-ō) and Ancient Greek -κα- (-ka-). Similar to Proto-Germanic *-kōną (and from there with English -k, German -chen, etc) even though technically not cognates.

Suffix

*-kati

Creates onomatopoeic verbs denoting an action of mimicking a sound in the root.
*ble! → *blekati, *blečǫ/*blekajǫ (“to sound like a sheep”)
*kra! → *krakati, *kračǫ (“to sound like a crow”)
*kva! → *kvakati, *kvačǫ/*kvakajǫ (“to sound like a frog, crow or duck”)
Creates expressive and emotionally colored verbs.
*bakati, *bakajǫ (“to shout, scold, chatter”) : *bajati (“to speak, order, bewitch”)
*blǫkati, *blǫkajǫ (“to loiter, wander”) : *blǫditi (“id.”)
*brukati, *brukajǫ (“to soil, pollute”) : *bruditi (“id.”)
*čakati, *čakajǫ (“to wait”) : *čajati/*čati, *čajǫ (“id.”)
(by extension, from the previous meaning) Creates hypocoristic and diminutive verbs.
*běžati (“to run, quickly move”) → *běžьkati, *běžьkajǫ (“to walk, run”) (of children)
*bosti, bodǫ (“prickle, prick”) → *bodьcati, *bodьcajǫ (“to often lightly poke”)

Related terms

*-čati (parallel formation with the same meaning)

Derived terms

*-i-kati, -i-kajǫ (extended form)
*-u-kati, -u-kajǫ (extended form)
*-y-kati, -y-kajǫ (extended form)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -кати (-kati)
  - Belarusian: -каць (-kacʹ)
  - Russian: -кать (-katʹ)
  - Ukrainian: -кати (-katy)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: -кати (-kati)
  Glagolitic: -ⰽⰰⱅⰹ (-kati)
- Bulgarian: -ка- (-ka-)
- Macedonian: -ка- (-ka-)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: -кати
  Latin: -kati
- Slovene: -kati
West Slavic:
- Czech: -kat
- Polish: -kać
- Slovak: -kať
- Slovincian: *-kăc
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: -kać
  - Upper Sorbian: -kaś

References

Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-kati”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: National Ossoliński Institute, page 49