ꙗко

Forms

ꙗко (jako)^[1] Also written ѣко and ꙗкѡ.^[1] A form without j-, ако, occurs a few times in the Zographensis and the Assemanianus and more often in the Suprasliensis.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Slavic *jako (“how, as”), from *jakъ.^[1] The same word is Russian яко (jako), Ukrainian як (jak), Czech jako, Slovak ako and Polish jako, while Bulgarian ако (ako), Macedonian ако (ako) and Serbo-Croatian ako mean "if".^[1][3][4]

Its origin depends on the relation of *jako to the form *ako, which ESSJa says cannot be settled, so it treats both together.^[4] Sadnik and Aitzetmüller see in the j- forms (ѥгда, ꙗкъ, ꙗможе) a trace of the Indo-European relative pronoun Proto-Indo-European *yós, comparing Ancient Greek ὅς (hós, “who”).^[5] ESSJa grants that *jako can come from the pronominal stem *je-, *jo-; on the extreme view, the forms with a- lost the j- in the flow of speech and are secondary.^[4] Because *ako is so widespread, others (Berneker, Meillet, Vasmer) took at least part of the forms as an old *ako from the demonstrative stem *e-, *o-.^[4] A third explanation, from Maretić and Mladenov, joins the conjunction а with a pronoun in k-;^[4][3] ESSJa thinks it should be taken seriously, Sadnik and Aitzetmüller found it improbable, and Derksen too thinks the a- is probably the conjunction.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Gospels it is above all the comparative "as, like", for ὡς: просвьтѣ сѧ лице его ѣко слънъце • а ризꙑ его бꙑшѧ бѣлꙑ ѣко свѣтъ "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light" (Mt 17, 2, Marianus, Zographensis, Ostromir), where the Assemanianus has ако.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The SNSP counts more than 4,000 instances and divides them into the adverb, interrogative "how" (Ps 8:2 ѣко чюдьно імѩ твое "how wonderful is your name") and relative "as", and the conjunction.^[2] As an adverb it compares (ὡς, ὥσπερ, καθώς; also ꙗко и), means "as if", and with numbers "about".^[6][7] Correlated with тако it means "as — so".^[6] As a conjunction it introduces what is said or known, "that", gives a cause, "because, for", and a purpose or result, "so that", often with an infinitive or with да.^[7][8] The Euchologium Sinaiticum renders with it ὡς, ὅτι, ἵνα and ὅπως, beside ꙗкоже.^[9] Giltebrandt's New Testament dictionary glosses it "how, that, for, because".^[10]

Meanings

Adverb

1. how (in questions and exclamations); for ὡς, πῶς.^[6][2][1]
2. as, like, in comparisons; for ὡς, ὥσπερ, καθώς.^[6][2]
3. As if; with numbers: about, approximately.^[6][7][11]

Conjunction

1. that, introducing what is said or known, or a quotation; for ὅτι.^[7][1][8]
2. because, for.^[7][1][10]
3. So that, in order that (also ꙗко да); for ἵνα, ὅπως.^[7][9]
4. if.^[1]

Word family

• ꙗкоже

Related words

• ѥгда
• иже

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 28
4. ^ a b c d e f 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. 1, 63
5. ^ Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 247
6. ^ a b c d e f 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 e f Sadnik, Linda; Aitzetmüller, Rudolf (1955), Handwörterbuch zu den altkirchenslavischen Texten, Heidelberg: Winter / 's-Gravenhage: Mouton, p. 71
8. ^ a b Slocum, Jonathan; Krause, Todd B., Old Church Slavonic Online, Base Form Dictionary, Linguistics Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
9. ^ a b SlaVaComp Metaglossar Griechisch–Kirchenslavisch, Universität Freiburg, slavistik-portal.de
10. ^ a b Gil'tebrandt, P. A. (1882–1885), Spravočnyj i ob''jasnitel'nyj slovar' k Novomu Zavetu, 6 vols., Sankt-Peterburg
11. ^ Miklosich, Franz (1862–1865), Lexicon palaeoslovenico-graeco-latinum emendatum auctum, Vindobonae: Braumüller