*wiljaną

Reconstruction

The infinitive is *wiljaną in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] *wel(j)anan in Orel^[3] and *weljan in Köbler.^[4] Kroonen cites it by its stem *weljan-.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, to want”):^[1][5] Wiktionary starts from the optative of a Narten present *wḗlh₁-ti, *wélh₁-n̥ti.^[1]

Morphology

An anomalous verb.^[6] Its present indicative had merged with the subjunctive, so that "I want" was in origin "I would like".^[2] Ringe reconstructs that present with the athematic suffix *-ī-: singular *wiljų, *wilīz, *wilī, plural *wilīm, *wilīd, *wilīn; the thematic infinitive *wiljaną and participle *wiljand- were built to it, and the past was weak, *wel-d-.^[2] Gothic keeps this paradigm almost unchanged.^[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wiljan) in Gothic, Old Norse vilja in Old Norse, and Old English willan, Old Frisian willa and Old High German wellan in West Germanic.^[5] The Gothic present is 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌿 (wiljau), 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃 (wileis), 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹 (wili), an old subjunctive.^[5] Lehmann cites the first person past 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌳𐌰 (wilda) from 2 Corinthians 1:15.^[7] The old paradigm also shows in the past Old Saxon welde, the present Old High German wili and Old English wile.^[2]

Competing analyses

Kroonen takes the Germanic subjunctive from an optative *uelh₁-ieh₁-m, *-ih₁-s, *-ih₁-t, with an athematic present *uélh₁-ti behind it, and derives the preterite, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌳𐌰 (wilda) against Old English wolde, from a primary aorist *uelh₁-t.^[5] Ringe calls the stem *wilī- a perfect cognate of the present subjunctive stem Latin velī-, and the merger of indicative and subjunctive a fossilised form of politeness.^[2] Orel heads the word as a strong verb whose paradigms are all irregular, originally of the mi-conjugation, and relates it to Latin uolō (“to want”), Lithuanian vélti and Proto-Slavic *velěti (“to order”).^[3] Köbler lists it as a weak verb, *weljan or *waljan.^[4] For Gothic, Lehmann describes it as an irregular weak verb used as a modal, its present originally an optative of athematic inflection, with other forms added in Germanic to round out the paradigm.^[7]

Meanings

1. to want^[5][1]
2. to will, to want^[4]

Old English also used the verb for "to be wont", "to be about to" and for the future,^[8] and Old Saxon as a modal auxiliary forming future tenses.^[9]

Derivatives

• *wiljô "will, wish",^[10] Kroonen's *weljan- 2 and Orel's *weljōn, which Orel derives from the verb.^[5][11]
• *waljaną "to choose",^[12] which Kroonen calls a causative or factitive to the root.^[13] Ringe sets it beside *wiljaną among the derived verbs.^[14]
• *wiljakwemô "a wished-for guest", with *kwemaną.^[1]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wiljan, “to want”)^[15]
• Old Norse: vilja (“to want”)^[16]
• Old English: willan (“to want, to wish, to be about to”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: willa (“to want”)^[17]
• Old Saxon: willian (“to want, to wish, to intend”)^[9]
• Old High German: wellan (“to want”), as Kroonen lists it^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wiljaną
2. ^ a b c d e f Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 294
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 453
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *weljan
5. ^ 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. 578
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. willan 1
7. ^ 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. wiljan
8. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. willan
9. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. willian
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wiljô
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *weljōn
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *waljaną
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 570
14. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 283
15. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. wiljan
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. vilja
17. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. willa