*swā

*swā¹ so, thus

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *swā "so, thus" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *swa (“so, thus”),^[1] which Köbler sets up beside *swē and *swō.^[3] Ringe and Taylor take the long vowel for a Proto-West Germanic lengthening of word-final vowels in stressed monosyllables, of which there are few examples: *bī, *nū and *swā.^[1] Fulk explains the same lengthening by Prokosch's law, under which a stressed syllable tends towards two morae, and cites Old Icelandic svá and Old English swā beside Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌰 (swa).^[4]

Morphology

An adverb, also used as a conjunction in the daughters.^[5][6] Fulk cites it in favour of *ǣ rather than *ā as the long low vowel of Northwest Germanic: the lengthened *swa gave Old Saxon and Old High German sō, not ⟨sā⟩, and in Old English and Old Frisian, the languages with fronting of low vowels, it gave swā and sā.^[7]

Evidence

The adverb is attested as Old English swā, Old Frisian sā, Old Saxon sō and Old High German sō,^[1] and Old Dutch sō in the North Lower Rhenish blood charm of 1001–1050 and in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[8] Ringe and Taylor suggest that the fronting of the vowel may have been blocked in Old English and Old Frisian after an initial *Cw-, as in hwā (“who”); but the Old English variants swǣ (West Saxon and Northumbrian) and swē (Mercian) point to a more complex history, and they think Luick's view that the vowel of *swa was not fronted when unstressed worth considering.^[9] Fulk explains swǣ and swē as lengthened forms of a re-stressed *swa whose vowel had already been fronted.^[10]

Competing analyses

Boutkan and Siebinga set beside Proto-Germanic *swa a separate *swō or *swau for Old Norse ⟨sō⟩ and for Old Saxon, Old High German and Old Dutch sō, and note that *swau could also account for Old Frisian sā.^[11] For Ringe and Taylor the Old Saxon and Old High German form is simply the regular outcome of *swā.^[1]

Meanings

1. so, thus^[1][2]
2. in this manner^[2]

The daughters also used the word in many conjunctional senses, such as "as soon as", "if" and "so that" in Old English,^[5] and "then" and "therefore" in Old Frisian.^[12]

Derivatives

• *allswā "completely so, likewise", which Wiktionary reconstructs from *all and *swā;^[13] Old English has eallswā (“just as”), which Köbler analyses as eall and swā,^[14] and Old Frisian has alsā.^[15]
• Wiktionary derives Proto-Germanic *swalīkaz (“such”) from *swa and *-līkaz;^[16] Ringe and Taylor trace Old English swelċ to it, beside Old Saxon sulik and Old High German sulīh.^[17]

Reflexes

• Old English: swā (“so, thus, as, so that”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: sā (“so, in such a way, then”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: sō (“so, as, as if”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: sō (“so”)^[8]
• Old High German: sō (“so, in this way, thus”)^[18]

*swā² like, as

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs a second *swā "like, as".^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *swē (“like, as”).^[2] Kroonen sets up the Proto-Germanic adverb and conjunction *swē "as, like; so" and derives it from the reflexive root "his own, self".^[19] Köbler lists *swē as a variant of *swa.^[3]

Morphology

An adverb and conjunction of comparison.^[19][6]

Evidence

Kroonen gives Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swē) and Old English swā, swǣ, swē, beside Old Frisian sā, Old Saxon sō and Old High German sō, as the reflexes of *swē.^[19] Köbler derives Old Dutch sō (“thus, as, when”) from *swē,^[20] and ONW records it as a conjunction of comparison in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[8]

Competing analyses

The separation of a Proto-Germanic *swē from *swa is not shared by all.^[19][4] Kroonen keeps *swē apart as its own adverb.^[19] Fulk takes Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swē) "just as" for the stressed form of *swa, lengthened by Prokosch's law, and notes that Ringe and Taylor think otherwise.^[4] Boutkan and Siebinga compare *swē with Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (swē) "when, as" and the Old English forms with ǣ and ē.^[11]

Meanings

1. like, similar to^[2]
2. just like, in the same manner as^[2]
3. as if^[2]

In the daughters the comparative use is found in Old English, which glosses Latin sicut, quasi and velut with it,^[5] and in Old Saxon, where it also means "as if".^[6]

Reflexes

• Old English: swā (“as, like, as if”)^[5]
• Old Frisian: sā (“as, in what way”)^[12]
• Old Saxon: sō (“as, as if”)^[6]
• Old Dutch: sō (“as”)^[8]
• Old High German: sō (“as if, as it were”)^[18]