𐌸𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌸𐌰𐌽 (þan), an indeclinable adverb and conjunction.^[1][2] As a conjunction it very often follows the enclitic -uh, as in qiþanuh þan;^[1][3] after jah it can be assimilated to 𐌾𐌰𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 (jaþþan), as at 1 Corinthians 4:5 in manuscript A.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then”),^[5] Orel's *þana, which continues the demonstrative stem *þa- with a particle.^[6] The cognates are Old Norse þá, Old English þan, Old Frisian than, Old Saxon than and Old High German dan.^[6][7] Uhlenbeck and Kieckers derive it from the demonstrative stem of 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 (þata, “that”), Proto-Indo-European *to-;^[8][9] Kieckers describes it as formed with a nasal suffix.^[9] Lehmann gives the same root and compares the ending of 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan, “when”); he rejects Skutsch's connection with Latin tum (“then”), which he takes for an Italic innovation.^[10]

Attestation

The Wulfila project divides the word into three lemmas: the temporal adverb with 95 tokens (74 of them ambiguous), the connective conjunction with 447 (145 ambiguous) and the relative-temporal conjunction with 198 (118 ambiguous).^[2] Köbler counts about 600 records.^[11] It occurs in the Gospels, in the Epistles and in the Skeireins, in manuscripts including CA, A, B, C, E, Speyer and Lat5750.^[2] In PROIEL's Gospels and Epistles, 490 tokens tagged as an adverb mostly render Ancient Greek δέ (dé) (271 times), οὖν (oûn) (42), τότε (tóte) (19) and γάρ (gár) (16), and 72 tagged as a subordinating conjunction render ὅταν (hótan) (45) and ὅτε (hóte) (21).^[12] The first record in canonical order is Matthew 5:31, which reads qiþanuh þan ist þatei ƕazuh saei afletai qen, gibai izai afstassais bokos, "it has been said, then, that whoever puts away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce".^[12][3]

Meanings

1. then, at that time, thereupon; a demonstrative adverb of time, for τότε.^[1][13][14]
2. but, and, now, so; a connective, weakly adversative conjunction, for δέ and also οὖν.^[1][13][12]
3. when, as long as; a relative conjunction of time, for ὅταν and ὅτε, once for ὁπότε.^[1][7]

Word family

• 𐌴𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌽 (eiþan, “wherefore”)
• 𐌾𐌿𐌸𐌰𐌽 (juþan, “already”)
• 𐌼𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 (miþþan, “meanwhile”)
• 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌸𐌰𐌽 (nauhþan, “still, yet”)
• 𐌽𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 (niþþan, “and not”)
• 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃 (þanamais, “further, longer”)
• 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌸𐍃 (þanaseiþs, “thereafter”)
• 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌿 (þannu, “therefore”)

Related words

• 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 (þata, “that”)
• 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴 (þandē, “while”)
• 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan, “when”)

Usage notes

The temporal adverb stands in second position, or in third when the two words before it belong together.^[9] The connective þan is enclitic.^[4] Krause doubts that it has any meaning of its own in the fixed combination 𐌰𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 (aþþan, “but”).^[4] The relative conjunction usually stands at the head of its clause.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. þan
2. ^ a b c De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
3. ^ a b De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Mt 5:31
4. ^ a b c Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck
5. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌸𐌰𐌽
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 415
7. ^ a b Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 149
9. ^ a b c Kieckers, Ernst (1928), Handbuch der vergleichenden gotischen Grammatik, München: Hueber
10. ^ Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. þan
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. þan
12. ^ a b c Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
13. ^ a b c Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 298
14. ^ Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 156