doch

Forms

doch^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German doch, inherited from Old High German doh, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *þauh, inherited from Proto-Germanic *þauh (“nevertheless, though”).^[2][3][1] The same word is Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐌷 (þauh), Old Norse þó, Old English þēah, Old Frisian thach and Old Saxon thoh, and English though continues it through Middle English, which took its form from Old Norse.^[2][3][4]

The Germanic word is made of an adverb *þau, attested in Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿 (þau, “or, then”), and the enclitic particle -𐌿𐌷 (-uh, “and”), which matches Latin -que (“and”) and Ancient Greek τε (te, “and”).^[2][3][5] Kluge and Pfeifer compare the first part with a Sanskrit particle meaning “but, now”, which may have grown out of the pronoun of the second person singular;^[2][3] Kluge adds that if this origin of the Sanskrit word is right, the connection with “doch” must be given up because of the vowel grade it requires.^[2] Others connect it with the demonstrative stem Proto-Indo-European *to-, as the revised Grimm dictionary does.^[3][6]

The short /ɔ/ of the modern word arose because it was usually unstressed.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The revised Grimm dictionary gives as its first quotation the Old High German Isidor of the late 8th century, where dhoh introduces a clause meaning “although”.^[6] Paul cites the Benediktinerregel of 790–802 for this sense, and the Tatian of about 830 for the sense “but, yet”.^[7] Köbler records the word in glosses from 765 on.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The concessive conjunction “although” lasted only in Old and Middle High German and gave way in the 13th century to swie, while the adversative “but, yet” has continued to the present day.^[6][7] The adverb “nevertheless, in spite of everything” is recorded from the Old High German Hildebrandslied on.^[7]

Pfeifer stresses that the very common unstressed use of modern German, as a modal particle, has moved far from the original sense: it adds emphasis to requests, shows surprise or indignation, introduces wishes, and answers a question put in the negative.^[3] Luther's Denn Recht mus doch recht bleiben (Psalm 94:15, “for right must still remain right”) shows the stressed adverb.^[7] The word was taken into Kashubian and Slovincian.^[1]

Timeline

• 765 – Old High German doh in glosses.^[8]
• Late 8th century – dhoh “although” in the Old High German Isidor.^[6]
• c. 830 – thoh “but, yet” in the Old High German Tatian.^[7]
• 13th century – The concessive use “although” is replaced by swie.^[6]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. But, yet, however: Wir warteten lange, doch der Bus kam nicht.^[9][1]

Adverb

1. (stressed) nevertheless, all the same: Sie war müde und ging doch noch ins Kino.^[9][1]
2. With the verb first: adds a reason: Er sagte nichts, wusste er doch, dass es zwecklos war.^[9][3]
3. (stressed) Yes, on the contrary, contradicting a negative statement or question: „Du hast keinen Hunger?“ – „Doch!“^[9][1]
4. (strongly stressed) After all, confirming what was thought unlikely: Es hat also doch geklappt.^[9][1]

Particle

1. (unstressed) Adds emphasis to a statement, request or wish: Setz dich doch!, Wenn er doch endlich anriefe!^[9][1]
2. (unstressed) Expresses indignation or surprise in exclamations: Das ist doch nicht zu fassen!^[9][3]
3. (unstressed) In questions, expects agreement: Du kommst doch morgen?^[9]
4. (unstressed) In questions, asks for something known but forgotten: Wo wohnte er doch gleich?^[9]

Word family

• jedoch

Related words

• English though

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 208
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
4. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 2, 710
5. ^ Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2014), 5th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin / Mannheim / Zürich: Dudenverlag, p. 227
6. ^ a b c d e Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm, Neubearbeitung (1965–2018), ed. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 9 vols. (A–F), Leipzig / Stuttgart: Hirzel, p. 6, 1188
7. ^ a b c d e Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag