Etymologically
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ni

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Pronunciation

Forms

ni[1] Old French ne (842); ni from 1229, rare until the end of the 15th century, often written ny in the 16th.[2][3]

Etymology

It continues Old French ne, inherited from Latin nec (“and not, nor”).[3][4][5][1] Latin “nec” was a variant of neque, used first before consonants, which displaced the full form; it goes back to the Indo-European sentence negation Proto-Indo-European *ne.[3]

The form “ni” probably arose in groups where “ne” stood before an old demonstrative such as “icel” or “icelui”, or before the pronoun il (n'icel“, ”n'il“).[3][4][6] Rey adds that its spread may have been helped by the neighbouring Occitan dialects, which closed ”e“ to ”i in hiatus (Old Occitan ni, after 1150).[3] Bloch and Wartburg think it won because it was more expressive than “ne”.[4]

Cognate with Italian né, Spanish ni, Catalan ni and Portuguese nem.[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Serments de Strasbourg (842) have ne repeated: ne io ne neuls cui eo returnar int pois “neither I nor anyone I can turn from it”.[8]

Semantic evolution

Old French ne linked a negative clause to another, and it was also used where the negation was only implied, in questions, comparisons, conditions and concessions, with the sense “and” or “or”.[3][8] At first it stood only before the last term; the modern rule of putting it before each term, urged by Malherbe and then Vaugelas, was slow to take hold.[3]

Ni appears in the 13th century and in Froissart's writings, struggles with ne through the 16th century, and wins in the 17th.[3][7] Vaugelas, who defended ne, admitted that it was an old word used only “along the Loire”.[3] Today, except in literary style and in ni… ni…, it is generally replaced by et after a negative, and it is required after sans (sans col ni cravate).[3][9]

Timeline

  • 842 – Ne… ne in the Serments de Strasbourg.[8]
  • 881 – Ned before a vowel in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie.[8]
  • c. 1100 – Plus se fait fiers que leon ne leupart in the Chanson de Roland, after a comparative.[8]
  • 1229 – First record of the form ni.[2]
  • Late 14th century – Ni appears in Froissart.[7][6]
  • 17th century – Ni replaces ne, Vaugelas calls ne an old word of the Loire.[3][7]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. Neither, nor: joins words or clauses in a negative sentence, usually repeated: ni toi ni moi.[10][9]
  2. Links verbs when the negation bears on the verb: il ne veut ni ne peut refuser.[9]
  3. After sans: sans col ni cravate.[9]
  4. In set phrases: ni plus ni moins, ni oui ni non, ni Dieu ni maître.[10]
  • ne
  • nier
  • Latin nec

Usage notes

Littré notes that the old ne survives only in the joking repetition of ne plus ne moins from Molière's Malade imaginaire.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 72b
  6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e 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
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert