vëlla
Albanian
Etymology
Uncertain.
1) From Proto-Albanian *swe-laudā, *swe representing the reflexive *u (“self”), and *lauda, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“man, people”), thus meaning belonging to the same people.[1]
2) From *vëllaz (in plural (Gheg) vëllazën), from *waládža, from Proto-Albanian *(a)waládja, metathesis of *awádlja, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂euh₂ó-dʰli̯os (“mother's brother”). Same sense development as motër (“sister”), from *méh₂treh₂ (“mother's sister”).
3) From Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ-, possibly < *uai-láu(d) (< *suoi- h1loudhi-), an old compound with the reflexive pronoun ve(të) (“own, self”). The plural stem *vəɫaz- (> vëllezër / vëllazën) can be derived phonetically from *laudźi-.[2] Possibly related to Phrygian vela (vela, “family, relatives”). A connection to Finnish veli, Estonian veli (“brother”) (see Proto-Finnic *velji) has been proposed, although this is improbable.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [vəˈɫa]
Noun
vëlla m (indefinite plural vëllezër, definite singular vëllai, definite plural vëllezërit)
- brother
Declension
indefinite forms (trajta të pashquara) | definite forms (trajta të shquara) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular (numri njëjës) | plural (numri shumës) | singular (numri njëjës) | plural (numri shumës) | ||
nominative (emërore) | (një) vëlla | (disa) vëllezër | vëllai | vëllezërit | |
accusative (kallëzore) | (një) vëlla | (disa) vëllezër | vëllanë | vëllezërit | |
genitive (gjinore) (i/e/të/së) | (një) vëllai | (disa) vëllezërve | vëllait | vëllezërvet | |
dative (dhanore) | (një) vëllai | (disa) vëllezërve | vëllait | vëllezërvet | |
ablative (rrjedhore) (prej) | (një) vëllai | (disa) vëllezërish | vëllait | vëllezërvet |
References
- Orel, Vladimir (1998), “vëlla”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Cologne: Brill, →ISBN, page 503
- Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997) Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: Investigations into the Albanian Inherited Lexicon] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7) (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi