*mann

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *mann for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and EWA sets up a West Germanic nominative singular *mann beside an accusative *mannun.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *mann- (“human being”),^[3][1] which Kroonen cites as the n-stem *mannan- and Orel as *mannz.^[4][5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the Proto-West Germanic nominative plural *manni "human beings", from Proto-Germanic *manniz, with the loss of the final *-i of the consonant stems.^[6] They trace Old English mann ~ monn and Old Frisian mon through a form with a nasalized vowel, *mąnn.^[3]

Morphology

A masculine consonant stem.^[2][7] Kroonen takes the Proto-Germanic word for an n-stem in the singular and a root noun in the plural: an older paradigm *manna, plural *mannaniz, became *manna, *manniz by regular syncope, and most languages then removed the n-stem endings from the singular, except Gothic and Old English manna.^[8] EWA holds that the geminate cannot go back to *-nw-, since Gothic would then have *mannus, and notes that this derivation is still found in Ringe 2006.^[2] Köbler gives the Old Saxon noun as both an a-stem and an athematic stem.^[9]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English mann, Old Frisian mon, Old Saxon man and Old High German man,^[2] and Old Dutch man in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 9th century.^[10] Old High German has it from the 8th century.^[2] The plural *manni is continued by menn and men, and by Old Saxon and Old High German plurals identical with the singular.^[6] EWA takes the name Mannus in Tacitus for a Latinization of the West Germanic nominative *mann, following N. Wagner, and lists Lombard compounds such as harimannus (“warrior”) and waldeman (“forest warden”).^[2] Boutkan explains the by-form Old Frisian man as an Old West Frisian change of *o before a nasal back to *a.^[11]

Meanings

1. human being, person^[6][1]
2. (as an indefinite pronoun) one, someone^[1][12]

Old English, Old Saxon and Old High German also used the noun for "man" and "servant",^[13][9][2] and Old Saxon, Old Frisian and Old High German for "husband".^[2][14] The indefinite pronoun has counterparts in Old Saxon, Old Dutch, Old Frisian and Old English, and in North Germanic.^[12]

Derivatives

• *manakuni "mankind", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] it is continued by Old English mancynn, Old Saxon mankunni and Old High German mankunni.^[16][17][18]
• *kaupamann "merchant", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[19] Orel lists Old English, Old Frisian and Old High German forms of the compound.^[20]
• Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *man(na)slagō "murderer", the source of Old English manslaga and Old High German manslago.^[21]

Reflexes

• Old English: mann (“human being, man, hero, servant”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: mon (“man, human being, husband, retainer”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: man (“man, human being, youth, servant”)^[9]
• Old Dutch: man (“man”)^[10]
• Old High German: man (“human being, man, husband, servant, warrior”)^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mann
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. man¹
3. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 144
4. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 353
5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 260
6. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 286
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mann
8. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 354
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. man
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. man
11. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. mon
12. ^ a b 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. man²
13. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mann
14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mon
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *manakuni
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mancynn
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mankunni
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mankunni
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kaupamann
20. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 211
21. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 192