*laiʀijan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *laizijan for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] which Wiktionary writes *laiʀijan.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”),^[1] which Kroonen cites as *laizjan-, Orel as *laisjanan and Köbler as *laizjan.^[3][4][5] Kroonen calls it the causative of the preterite-present *lisan-,^[3] and Orel the causative of *laisa.^[4] The word is one of Ringe and Taylor's examples of rhotacism: Proto-Germanic *z merged with *r between vowels, including *j, in all the West Germanic daughters, while Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (laisjan) has levelled in the voiceless Verner's law variant from the Gothic word for "I know".^[1] They also take Proto-Germanic *liznōną "to learn", Proto-West Germanic *liznōn, to be derivationally related to it.^[6]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[7][8] In Old High German the spelling with ⟨rr⟩, found mostly in the Benedictine Rule, is due to West Germanic consonant gemination, even though the root syllable is long.^[8]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English lǣran, Old Frisian lēra, Old Saxon lērian and Old High German lēren.^[1] In Old Dutch, ONW has gelierot in the Old Low and Middle Franconian Psalms of the 10th century and lerda in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[9]

Meanings

1. to teach^[1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to advise", "to urge" and "to preach",^[10] Old Frisian for "to instruct" and "to learn",^[11] and Old High German for "to instruct", "to explain" and "to show".^[8]

Derivatives

• Ringe and Taylor print Proto-West Germanic *laizu "learning";^[12] Wiktionary derives the noun Proto-Germanic *laizō (“teaching, lore”) from the verb, and Köbler puts it with the verb too.^[13][14]

Reflexes

• Old English: lǣran (“to teach, to advise, to urge, to preach”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: lēra (“to teach, to instruct, to learn”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: lērian (“to teach”)^[15]
• Old Dutch: lēren (“to teach”)^[9]
• Old High German: lēren (“to teach, to instruct, to explain, to show”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 83
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *laiʀijan
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 325
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 233
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *laizjan
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 84
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lêrian
8. ^ 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. lêren
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. lēren
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lǣran
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lēra
12. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 56
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *laizō
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *laizō
15. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 246