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и1 and

Forms

и (i)[1]

Etymology

The conjunction is inherited from Proto-Slavic *i (“and”), a word found in every Slavic language.[2][1] The same word is Russian и (i), Serbo-Croatian i, Slovene in, Czech i and Polish i; in several languages it also serves as an interjection.[2][3][1]

Its further origin is disputed: ESJS considers it most likely an old interjection, following Kurz, Bauer, Kopečný and Machek, while Musić derived it from an affirmative particle.[2] The older explanation, still preferred by Sławski and the Słownik prasłowiański and accepted by Berneker, Vasmer and Pokorny, takes it from an old locative singular of a demonstrative stem, Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey in Wiktionary's reconstruction.[2][3][4][1] On that view it is compared with Ancient Greek εἰ (ei, “if”) and εἶτα (eîta, “then”).[2][3][4][1]

A link with Lithuanian ir̃ (“and”), Latvian ir (“and, also”) and Old Prussian ir (“and, also”) was thought probable by Endzelīns and possible by Vasmer, but rejected by Zubatý.[2][3] ESJS and Vasmer think less of Zubatý's derivation from an ablative, compared with an Old Lithuanian conjunction ė, and of Brückner's comparison with Lithuanian jei (“if”).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

All the canonical manuscripts have the conjunction, which the SNSP counts more than 17,000 times; it renders Ancient Greek καί (kaí) above all, and also τε, δέ and other Greek particles.[5][6] In the Gospels it opens the account of the voice at the baptism: ꙇ се гласъ съ небесе глаголѧ “and behold, a voice from heaven saying” (Mt 3, 17 Zogr As Sav Ostr), for Greek καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνή.[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides plain and, the canonical texts use doubled и … и for both … and, the particle for also and even (and after a negation not even), a sentence-opening и meaning and behold or now, and the phrase и до “as far as, until” for ἕως and μέχρι.[6][5][7] In the TOROT treebank the conjunction is one of the commonest words, with 4,724 tokens, 4,524 of them in the Codex Suprasliensis.[8] With other particles it forms ибо and или.[4]

Timeline

  • End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – the Euchologium Sinaiticum renders καί, τε and δέ with и, beside а, да, же and ти for καί.[9]
  • Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian translation kept at the Rila monastery uses и for γάρ and δέ.[9]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. and, joining words and clauses; for καί, τε, δέ.[6][5][1]
  2. и … и: both … and; for καὶ … καί.[6][7]
  3. (particle) And then, furthermore, continuing what was said before.[6]
  4. (particle) also, even; after a negation, not even.[6][5][7]
  5. (particle) Opening a sentence or a speech: and, behold, now.[6]
  6. и до: as far as, until; for ἕως, μέχρι.[6]

Word family

  • ибо
  • или

и2 him

Forms

и (i) m[1] Feminine ꙗ, neuter ѥ; there is no nominative of the personal pronoun, and after prepositions the forms have н- (него, немоу, нь).[5][6][1][10]

Etymology

The pronoun is inherited from Proto-Slavic *jь (“he; that”), with feminine *ja and neuter *je, used in all Slavic languages as the third-person pronoun in the oblique cases.[10][1][11] The same word is Russian его (jegó), Czech jeho, Polish jego, Serbo-Croatian njega and Slovene njega.[10][12] The initial n- after prepositions comes from a wrong division of phrases with the prepositions *vъn and *sъn.[10]

It goes back through Proto-Balto-Slavic *is to the anaphoric pronoun Proto-Indo-European *ís, the source also of Lithuanian jis (“he”), Latin is (“he, that”) and Old Irish é (“he”).[10][1][12] ESJS and Wiktionary also bring in the Indo-European relative pronoun, *Hyós, the source of Ancient Greek ὅς (hós, “who”): most scholars think that the two pronouns merged in Proto-Slavic, perhaps already in Balto-Slavic, and that the particle же was added to the relative use to replace the lost relative mark, giving иже.[10][1][11][12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The pronoun is in all the canonical manuscripts, more than 1,000 times by the SNSP's count, mostly for Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) in the oblique cases.[5][6] In the Gospel of John the official's servants say of his son соулѣе емоу бꙑстъ “it became better for him” (J 4, 52 Zogr Mar As).[6]

Semantic evolution

The SJS divides the uses into an anaphoric demonstrative (“that, the one”), a relative pronoun (“who, which”) without же, found in the Gospels where other manuscripts have иже, and the commonest use, the personal pronoun of the third person.[6][5] The genitive and the adnominal dative (ѥго, ѥѩ, ихъ, dative ѥмоу) also serve as possessives, his, her, their.[6][10] Placed after an adjective, the pronoun forms the long or definite adjective, *dobrъ-jь giving добрꙑи.[10] The SJS and ESJS discuss its use with иже to translate the Greek article.[10][6]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. him, it; her, them: the third-person personal pronoun, in the oblique cases only; for αὐτός.[6][5][1]
  2. That, the one: an anaphoric demonstrative.[6][5][10]
  3. Who, which: a relative pronoun, usually with же as иже; for ὅς.[6][5][10]
  4. In the genitive and dative: his, her, their, as a possessive; for αὐτοῦ.[6][10]

Word family

Usage notes

As a letter, и is named иже: the SJS counts it as the tenth letter of the Glagolitic alphabet, and Wiktionary lists it as a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet under the same name.[6][1][13] As a numeral it stands for 8 in Cyrillic and 20 in Glagolitic.[5][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 234
  3. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 112
  4. ^ a b c d Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 245
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Slovník nejstarších staroslověnských památek (digital ed., Gorazd, Slovanský ústav AV ČR, gorazd.org); cf. Cejtlin, R. M.; Večerka, R.; Blagova, É. (eds.) (1994), Staroslavjanskij slovar' (po rukopisjam X–XI vekov), Moskva: Russkij jazyk
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
  7. ^ a b c d Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 34
  8. ^ Eckhoff, Hanne M.; Berdicevskis, Aleksandrs et al., TOROT: The Tromsø Old Russian and OCS Treebank, release 20200116, torottreebank.github.io
  9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 235
  11. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 208
  12. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 8
  13. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller