*folgēn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *folgēn for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fulgāną (“to follow”),^[2] which Kroonen cites as *fulgēn-, Orel as *fulʒēnan and Köbler as *fulgēn, *fulgǣn.^[3][4][5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct its Proto-Northwest Germanic present stem as *fulgija- ~ *fulgai-.^[6] In the forms with o the root vowel *u was lowered, although it stood next to a labial fricative and *l, where the lowering sometimes failed in northern West Germanic.^[7] In the larger subclass of the third weak class, which Ringe and Taylor reconstruct as still substantial in Proto-West Germanic, *-ē- was levelled through the present stem, so that Old High German is conservative in showing -ē-.^[8]

Morphology

A weak verb.^[5] Old High German has it in the third weak class, and only rarely in the second.^[9][10] Old English folgian and Old Saxon folgon belong to the second class,^[11][12] while Old English also has fylgan, a weak verb of the first class like Old Norse fylgja.^[10] Kroonen derives the Old Norse and Old English class I forms from a formation *fulgjan-.^[3]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English folgian, Old Frisian folgia, Old Saxon folgon and Old High German folgēn.^[10] Old Frisian also has the forms ⟨fulgia⟩ and ⟨folia⟩.^[13] In Old Dutch, ONW records folgon in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[14] EWA notes that the word is not recorded in Gothic.^[9]

Competing analyses

Ringe and Taylor list the verb among the apparent class III weak verbs attested only in West Germanic, whose original class is hard to judge because shifts between the second and third classes occurred in Old High German and in Norse.^[10] For "follow" they argue that the class I byform points to an original class III present, while for most of the other verbs this cannot be guaranteed.^[10] EWA describes the corresponding verbs of the other Germanic languages as belonging to the first or second weak class, or as of uncertain class in the later sources.^[9] The Proto-Germanic form is accordingly given with *-ē- by Kroonen, Orel and Köbler, but with *-ā- by Wiktionary.^[3][4][5][2]

Meanings

1. to follow^[1][10]

Old English also used the verb for "to accompany", "to serve as a retainer" and "to obey",^[15] Old Frisian for "to swear with someone as an oath-helper" and "to prosecute",^[13] and Old Saxon for "to obey".^[12]

Derivatives

• Old English folgoþ, also ⟨folgaþ⟩, "retinue; employment, office";^[16] Orel derives a Proto-Germanic noun *fulʒiþō from the verb, with Old English ⟨folgođ⟩ "train, retinue, service".^[4]

Reflexes

• Old English: folgian (“to follow, to accompany, to serve, to obey”)^[15]
• Old Frisian: folgia (“to follow, to accompany, to agree, to swear as an oath-helper”)^[13]
• Old Saxon: folgon (“to follow”)^[17]
• Old Dutch: folgon (“to follow”)^[14]
• Old High German: folgēn (“to follow, to accompany, to agree, to obey”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *folgēn
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fulgāną
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 159
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 117
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *fulgēn
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 33
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 32–33
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 96–97
9. ^ a b c d 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. folgên
10. ^ 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. 96
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. folgian
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. folgon
13. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. folgia
14. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. folgon
15. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. folgian
16. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 335
17. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 134