*kannijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *kannijan "to know, to be aware of".^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites as *kannjan-, Orel as *kannjanan and EWA as *kannii̯e/a-.^[3][4][5] EWA explains it as a causative of the preterite-present *kann, *kunnum "to know" of Proto-Germanic, properly "to make someone know something";^[5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct that verb as Proto-West Germanic *kunnan.^[6]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[5][7][8]

Evidence

The simple verb is attested as Old English cennan (“to appoint, to declare”),^[9] Old Frisian kenna, beside kanna,^[10] and Old Dutch kennen, recorded in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 10th century.^[11] Old Saxon has only the prefixed Old Saxon andkennian (“to recognize, to acknowledge”), common in the Heliand;^[12] Köbler sets up an unrecorded simple verb, which Holthausen placed in the minor texts but which cannot be found there.^[13] Old High German too has the verb only with prefixes, as in Old High German bikennen.^[14][5]

Competing analyses

Old English cennan has a homonym "to beget, to bring forth", which Holthausen and Köbler treat as a separate verb.^[15][9] Kroonen sets up a separate Proto-Germanic *kanjan- "to bring forth" for it, and takes Old Norse kenna (“to father (a child)”) for a loan from Old English;^[3] Wiktionary likewise has a separate *kannjan "to beget, to bring forth", from Proto-Germanic *kanjaną.^[16] Ringe and Taylor derive Old English cennan (“to beget”) from pre-Old English *kąnnijąn.^[17] Orel separates the two verbs as *kannjanan I and II, but reports Schröder's and Güntert's view that at a deeper level they are one.^[4] Old Saxon has the "beget" verb in the participle kennit in the Heliand.^[13]

Meanings

1. to know, to be aware of^[1]

Kroonen and Orel give the Proto-Germanic verb the meaning "to make known".^[3][4] Old English used the verb for "to determine, to appoint, to choose, to declare",^[9] Old Frisian for "to know, to recognize, to decide, to confess",^[10] and Old Dutch for "to know, to understand".^[8]

Derivatives

• *bikannijan "to get to know, to recognize", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[18] Old High German bikennen is recorded from the 8th century,^[5] and Old Frisian has bikenna.^[10]
• *unþakannijan "to deny knowledge of, to disavow", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[19] Old Frisian has undkenna,^[10] and Old Saxon andkennian.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: cennan (“to determine, to appoint, to choose, to declare”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: kenna (“to know, to recognize, to decide, to confess”)^[10]
• Old Dutch: kennen (“to know”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kannijan
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kannijaną
3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 279
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 210
5. ^ a b c d e 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. bikennen
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 101
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kenna
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kennen
9. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cėnnan
10. ^ a b c d e Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. kenna
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. kennen
12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. andkennian
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kennian
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kennen
15. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. cennan 1
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kannjan
17. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 229
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bikannijan
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *unþakannijan