*liʀnōn

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *liznōn for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary writes *liʀnōn.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *liznōną (“to learn”), which Ringe and Taylor call a fientive verb, derivationally related to *laizijaną "to teach".^[1] Kroonen and Köbler cite it as *liznōn- and *liznōn.^[3][4] Kroonen takes it for an inchoative verb continuing a medio-passive factitive nasal present, "to make oneself know",^[3] and EWA too calls the zero-grade verb with a nasal an inchoative formation.^[5] Wiktionary calls it a fientive verb derived from Proto-Germanic *lizaną.^[2]

The merger of *z with *r, often called rhotacism, is found in all the West Germanic languages and in Old Norse, but Ringe and Taylor show that the Norse change was independent of the West Germanic one.^[6] In West Germanic the development of *z before a coronal consonant was not uniform: the usual outcome was r, as in Old English liornian, Old Frisian lirnia and Old High German lirnēn, but Old Saxon līnon shows the occasional loss of *z with lengthening of the preceding *i.^[1] Ringe and Taylor put the general change of the surviving *z to *r at the end of the sequence, and assign the whole process to the period after Proto-West Germanic.^[7] EWA explains the Old Saxon verb from *līznōn, with loss of *z before *n after a long vowel,^[5] and Kroonen calls the distribution of this loss patchy.^[8]

Morphology

A weak verb of class II in Old English, Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old Dutch, while the Old High German verb belongs to the third weak class.^[5] EWA sets up West Germanic *liz-nō-i̯e/a- and *liz-nē-i̯e/a-, and finds the reason for the Old High German change of class unclear.^[5] Kroonen lists Old High German lernōn beside lernēn and lirnēn,^[3] and Wiktionary sets up a separate Elbe Germanic form *liʀnēn.^[9]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English leornian, Old Frisian lernia, Old Saxon līnon in the Heliand and the Genesis,^[10] Old Dutch lernon in Williram's commentary of about 1100,^[11] and Old High German lernēn in glosses from the beginning of the 9th century.^[5] In Old English the *i was broken before r and a consonant: at the time of i-umlaut the following syllable always had *ō or *ā, so the verb escaped umlaut, and *liznōn became *lirnōjan and then liornian.^[12]

Meanings

1. to learn^[1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to read" and "to consider",^[13] and Old Dutch and Old High German also for "to teach".^[5]

Derivatives

• *liʀnungu "learning, teaching, instruction", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Old English liornung "learning, study" and Old Saxon lernunga "instruction" are recorded.^[15][16]

Reflexes

• Old English: leornian (“to learn, to read, to consider”)^[17]
• Old Frisian: lernia (“to learn”)^[18]
• Old Saxon: līnon (“to learn”)^[19]
• Old Dutch: lernon (“to learn, to teach”)^[11][5]
• Old High German: lernēn (“to learn, to study, to meditate, to teach”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 84
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *liʀnōn
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 340
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *liznōn
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. lernên
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 82
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 87
8. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 370
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *liʀnēn
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. līnon
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. lernon
12. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 183
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liornian
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *liʀnungu
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. liornung
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lernunga
17. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. liornian
18. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. lernia
19. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 255