*auk

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *auk for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and de Vaan writes West Germanic *auk as well.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *auk (“also”),^[3][1] which Kroonen and Orel write *auke^[4][5] and Köbler *auk, *auke.^[6] Ringe and Taylor cite it among the examples of Proto-West Germanic *au, which appears in most Old English dialects as ⟨ēa⟩: Old English ēac, beside Old Frisian āk.^[3] The West Saxon form ⟨ēac⟩ became early Mercian ⟨ǣc⟩, also found in late Northumbrian and apparently from an unstressed form, and then Mercian and Northumbrian ⟨ēc⟩.^[7]

Morphology

An adverb and conjunction.^[8][4]

Evidence

The word is found in all the West Germanic languages: Old English ēac, Old Frisian āk, Old Saxon ōk and Old High German ouh.^[7] In Old Dutch, Köbler records Old Dutch ōk in the Old Low Franconian Psalms of the 9th century,^[9] and ONW has it in the North Lower Rhenish blood charm of 1001–1050.^[10] De Vaan lists it among the words in which *au became a monophthong in Old Dutch, as in Old Saxon, giving Modern Dutch ook.^[2] Old Frisian also has a form ⟨ocke⟩, which Boutkan and Siebinga put down to Middle Low German influence, finding van Helten's derivation from *allīkē less likely.^[11]

Competing analyses

Boutkan and Siebinga derive Old Frisian āk from Proto-Frisian *āk and Proto-Germanic *auke,^[11] while Köbler refers it to Germanic *ake "but".^[12] Boutkan and Siebinga add that the view that the word comes from, or was influenced by, an imperative *auke of the verb "to increase" has now been given up.^[11]

Meanings

1. also, too^[3][1]

The daughters also used it for "but, however",^[13][8][14] and Old Frisian also for "further" and "even".^[13]

Reflexes

• Old English: ēac (“also, moreover, likewise, with, besides”)^[15]
• Old Frisian: āk (“also, besides, but, further, even”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: ōk (“also, nevertheless, even, and, furthermore”)^[16]
• Old Dutch: ōk (“also”)^[10]
• Old High German: ouh (“also, likewise, moreover, even, but”)^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *auk
2. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2018), Historical Development of Dutch: Phonology & Morphology, Dialects & Stages, course reader, Leiden Summer School in Languages and Linguistics, p. §4.6
3. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 172
4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 42
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 29
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *auk
7. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 309
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ôk
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ōk
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. ōk
11. ^ a b c Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. ak
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. âk
13. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. āk
14. ^ a b Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. ouh
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. éac
16. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ok