me

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mə/^[1]
• IPA (Paris): /mø/^[1]

Forms

me (m’ before a vowel or mute h).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French me, inherited from Latin mē (“me”), the accusative of ego (“I”), in unstressed position.^[3][4][5][1] moi is the same word, from the same Latin form in stressed position.^[6][7] Northern dialects keep a form “mi” for the indirect object, also found in the Strasbourg Oaths, from Latin mihi (“to me”) through Vulgar Latin *mi; in standard French it has merged with “me”.^[1] Wiktionary traces the Latin form to Proto-Indo-European *h₁me-.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have me as an indirect object: in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat “as far as God gives me knowledge and power”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

By the end of the 10th century me was used as a direct object and elided before a vowel (m'en).^[8] With a third-person object pronoun it at first came second (le m'at tolut), and only gradually moved to the front (me le).^[8] The ethic dative, expressing the speaker's interest in the action (regardez-moi ça), is found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland.^[8][5] Me with pronominal verbs (je me lave, je m'en vais) is attested about 1050.^[8]

Timeline

• 842 – Me in the Strasbourg Oaths.^[8]
• late 10th century – Me as a direct object; elided m’ in the Passion de Clermont.^[8]
• c. 1050 – With pronominal verbs, in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[8]
• c. 1100 – The ethic dative.^[8]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. me: first person singular direct object pronoun: on me voit.^[1][2]
2. (To) me: indirect object: il me parle.^[1][2]
3. Myself: reflexive with pronominal verbs: je me lave.^[8][2]
4. (familiar) Expresses the speaker's interest in the action: goûtez-moi ce vin.^[5]

Related words

• mon
• Latin ego

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 565b
5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard