къто

Forms

къто (kŭto); Glagolitic ⰽⱏⱅⱁ^[1] Oblique cases кого, комоу, instrumental цѣмь; also written кто, кⸯто, and once хто (Mt 3, 7 Mar).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *kъto (“who”), the pronoun stem Proto-Slavic *kъ with the particle *-to, as in чьто.^[1][5] The same word is Russian кто (kto), Ukrainian хто (xto), Serbo-Croatian tko, Slovene kdo, Czech kdo, Polish kto, Upper Sorbian štó and Lower Sorbian chto, with various treatments of the initial consonant cluster; in Bulgarian and Macedonian it was replaced by forms of *kojь (see кꙑи).^[4][6][7] Vasmer explains the d of the Czech word by the influence of kde (“where”) and the initial consonant of the Upper Sorbian one by analogy with its word for what.^[7]

It continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *kas, from the Indo-European interrogative stem Proto-Indo-European *kʷos,^[1] the source of Lithuanian kas (“who, what”), Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐍃 (ƕas, “who”), Latin quis and Hittite kui-.^[7][8] The particle is disputed: Derksen derives the word from *kʷo- with the neuter pronoun *tod, while ESSJa takes the particle as a Slavic innovation, shared with Proto-Slavic *čьto, against Georgiev's view that it is inherited from Indo-European.^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Gospel codices use it for Ancient Greek τίς (tís, “who”): къто оть васъ ꙇматъ дроугъ “which of you has a friend” (L 11, 5 Zogr Mar As Sav), вѣмъ тѧ къто еси “I know thee who thou art” (Mc 1, 24 Zogr Mar).^[9]

Semantic evolution

The SJS distinguishes three uses: the interrogative “who”, for τίς; the indefinite “someone, anyone”, for τις, as in аште къто сънѣстъ отъ хлѣба сего “if anyone eats of this bread” (J 6, 51 Zogr Mar As Vat); and, rarely, the relative “the one who” (Supr 241, 22).^[9][2] къто любо means “whoever” (Supr 546, 4), and in the Codex Suprasliensis the word also serves as an adjective “some”.^[9][4] Its compounds are нѣкъто “someone” and the negative никъто, никътоже “no one”.^[4] SlaVaComp records it for τίς in the euchologion translation and in a Serbian translation from the Rila Monastery.^[10]

Timeline

• End of the 9th – beginning of the 10th century – къто renders τίς in the Slavonic euchologion translation.^[10]
• Up to the beginning of the 15th century – a Serbian patristic translation of the Rila Monastery uses it for τίς.^[10]
• 1899 – Dyachenko marks къто as the old Slavonic form of кто.^[11]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. (interrogative) who; for τίς.^[9][2][1]
2. (indefinite) someone, anyone; for τις.^[9][2]
3. къто любо whoever.^[9][2]
4. (relative, rare) the one who.^[9][2]

Word family

• нѣкъто
• никъто
• никътоже

Related words

• чьто
• кꙑи
• Russian кто (kto)

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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
3. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller
4. ^ a b c d Havlová, Eva; Erhart, Adolf; Janyšková, Ilona (eds.) (1989–2022), Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského, 21 fascicles, Praha: Academia / Brno: Tribun EU, p. 395
5. ^ a b Trubačev, Oleg N.; Žuravlev, Anatolij F.; Varbot, Žanna Ž. (eds.) (1974–2021), Ètimologičeskij slovar' slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, vols. 1–42, Moskva: Nauka, p. 13, 248
6. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ a b c Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 393
8. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 258
9. ^ a b c d e f g Kurz, Josef; Hauptová, Zoe (eds.) (1958–1997), Slovník jazyka staroslověnského / Lexicon linguae palaeoslovenicae, 4 vols. + supplements, Praha: Academia; digital ed. gorazd.org
10. ^ a b c SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
11. ^ D'jačenko, Grigorij (1899), Polnyj cerkovno-slavjanskij slovar', Moskva