deze

Forms

deze m or f or pl (proximal demonstrative, neuter dit)^[1] The variant dees was used beside deze.^[2][1] The old genitive survives in dezer dagen “recently, shortly”, and the personal plural is dezen.^[3][1] Middle Dutch inflected it fully: genitive deses, desere, derre, dative desen.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch dēse, inherited from Old Dutch thiusa.^[5][1][6] It was formed from the demonstrative die (see de) and a pointing particle ⟨*-s-⟩, probably related to 𐍃𐌰𐌹 (sai, “look!”) and sē (“look there”).^[5][7][8] That particle itself belongs to the pronoun stem in ⟨s-⟩.^[8][9]

In West and North Germanic the particle was first added to the inflected forms of the demonstrative, as in the Runic Norse nominatives ⟨sa-si⟩ and ⟨sū-si⟩ and the neuter ⟨þat-si⟩.^[5][7][10] Later it fused so firmly with the stem that the endings were moved to the end of the word, after the particle, which gave the older stages many variants.^[5][7] The forms with ⟨th-⟩ come from the inflected cases.^[7] The related forms are Old Saxon thius (“this (feminine)”), Old High German dese (modern German dieser), Old Frisian thius (modern West Frisian dizze), Old English þes (modern English this and English these) and Old Norse þessi (modern Swedish dessa).^[5] There is no such word in Gothic.^[11] Franck and Van Wijk thought that some of the forms rest on other bases and that the last word on this paradigm had not been said.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch thiusa and thisa “this” are recorded in the Willeram of about 1100, as in Wer is thiusa, “Who is this one?”^[5][6] A runic accusative þïn on a small staff found at Britsum and dated 501–510 has since been read as the same word, which would put the first record much earlier.^[5][6] Middle Dutch dese is recorded in 1230.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

From Old Dutch on the word pointed to someone or something near the speaker or just mentioned, either before a noun or standing alone, and Old Dutch these werilt was “this world”.^[6] Middle Dutch could repeat it where modern Dutch uses it once, place it after a noun with die, and use it for the ruler of the day.^[4][12] Combined with te it gave tesen and teser.^[4]

Standing alone, dezen long meant “this letter”, and the genitive deser “of this month” (1659).^[2] Formal bij dezen “hereby” and een dezer dagen “one of these days” keep older forms.^[3] In Surinamese Dutch deze mensen can be dismissive, “such people”.^[13] The word lives on in Negerhollands deese, Berbice Dutch disi and Skepi Dutch disə, and Sranan borrowed disi, which passed on to Saramaccan.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 501–510 – A runic þïn on the Britsum staff may be the oldest record.^[5][6]
• c. 1100 – Old Dutch thiusa appears in the Willeram.^[5]
• 1130 – Van der Sijs dates the demonstrative to this year.^[15]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch dese is recorded in Limburg.^[12]
• 1230 – Dese appears in a charter.^[5][9]
• 1659 – Den 12. deser “the 12th of this month” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Determiner

1. this, these: pointing to someone or something near the speaker, with de-words and plurals: Deze stoel is kapot.^[3][1][16]
2. Pointing to what was just mentioned or follows.^[2][17]

Pronoun

1. This one, these ones: Welke wil je? Deze.^[1][3]
2. The latter: Ze sprak met de directeur, en deze knikte.^[2][17]

Word family

• dezerzijds
• dezerlei

Related words

• dit
• die
• dat
• de
• dus
• English this
• German dieser

Usage notes

Deze is used with de-words and plurals, dit with singular het-words.^[1][3] In formal letters bij dezen means “hereby”.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
3. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
4. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
6. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 102
9. ^ a b c Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
10. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
11. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
12. ^ a b Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
13. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
17. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org