*berg

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *berg for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *bergaz (“hill, mountain”),^[2][3] which Ringe and Taylor and Kroonen cite by its stem *berga-^[1][4] and Orel as *ƀerʒan, *ƀerʒaz.^[5] Ringe and Taylor give it as an example of *e before ⟨r⟩ and a consonant, which was broken to ⟨eo⟩ in Old English beorg;^[1] in Mercian the result was ⟨berg⟩.^[6]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[3][7] Ringe and Taylor mark the Proto-West Germanic noun as masculine against the neuter of Old Norse bjarg "rock",^[1] and Kroonen gives the Proto-Germanic noun as masculine or neuter.^[4] Old High German has it once perhaps as an i-stem, accusative plural ⟨pirki⟩.^[3]

Evidence

The word is found in all the West Germanic languages: Old English beorg, Old Frisian berch, Old Saxon berg and Old High German berg.^[6] Old Dutch has berg in Williram's commentary of 1100 and the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible.^[8] Gothic has the word only in a derivative meaning "hill country".^[1][3] Köbler records Lombardic *berg (“mountain”) from place names.^[9]

Meanings

1. hill, mountain^[1][2]

Old English also used the word for "barrow, burial mound",^[10][3] and Old Frisian also for "mountainous area", of the Alps.^[11]

Reflexes

• Old English: beorg (“mountain, hill, burial mound”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: berch (“mountain, mountain range”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: berg (“mountain”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: berg (“mountain”)^[8]
• Old High German: berg (“mountain”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 182
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *berg
3. ^ a b c d e f 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. berg
4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 60
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 42
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 313
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. berg
8. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. berg
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *berg
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. beorg
11. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. berch
12. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. berch
13. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. berg