*kannijaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *kannijaną in Wiktionary,^[1] *kannjanan in Orel (his *kannjanan I)^[2] and *kannjan in Köbler;^[3] Kroonen cites the stem *kannjan-.^[4]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”), the root of *kunnaną "to know",^[5][3] and is formed from that verb with the causative suffix *-janą.^[1]

Morphology

A class I weak verb,^[6] the causative of *kunnan- "to know, can".^[4][2][7] Kroonen explains the geminate of *kunnan- from the singular root of the preterite-present,^[5] third person singular *kanne, plural *kunnunþ, from a quasi-PIE *ǵon-n-h₁-e, *ǵn̥-n-h₁-n̥t.^[8]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kannjan) in Gothic, Old Norse kenna in Old Norse, and Old English cennan, Old Frisian kenna, Old Saxon ant-kennian and Old High German ar-kennan in West Germanic.^[4][2] The Gothic verb occurs at Ephesians 1:9.^[6]

Competing analyses

Old English cennan also means "to beget, to bring forth".^[9] Kroonen separates this verb as *kanjan-, a causative to Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-, and takes Old Norse kenna (“to father a child”) as a loan from Old English;^[4] Orel sets it up as *kannjanan II and reports Schröder's and Güntert's view that at a deeper level it is the same word.^[10] De Vries too cites Schröder: the roots for "to know" and "to beget" can hardly be separated.^[11] Bammesberger writes the verb for "to beget" *kann-ijan-, as a causative to *ǵenə-.^[12]

Meanings

1. to make known^[4][1]
2. to know^[3]

Old Norse used the verb for "to teach" and "to know, to recognise",^[2][4] Old English for "to choose, to prove, to declare",^[4] and Old Saxon for "to perceive" and Old High German for "to recognise".^[4]

Derivatives

• *kanninʒō "teaching, recognition" in Orel.^[13]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kannjan, “to make known”)^[7]
• Old Norse: kenna (“to make known, to perceive, to enjoy”)^[11]
• Old English: cennan (“to determine, to appoint, to choose, to declare”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: kenna (“to know, to recognise, to acknowledge, to confess”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: andkennian (“to recognise, to acknowledge, to know”)^[15]
• Old High German: irkennen (“to recognise, to know, to perceive”)^[16]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kannijaną
2. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *kannjanan I
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kannjan
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 279
5. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 311
6. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kannjan
7. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kannjan
8. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 560
9. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. cennan
10. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *kannjanan II
11. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kenna
12. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *kanninʒō
14. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kenna
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. andkennian
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. irkennen