dit

Forms

dit (the neuter singular of the demonstrative deze)^[1][2] Middle Dutch also had an emphatic form ditte.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch dit, inherited from Old Dutch thit.^[3][5] The oldest Old Dutch record has thiz, a form coloured by German.^[3] The same word is Old Saxon thit (Middle Low German dit), Old High German diz (Middle High German diz) and Old Frisian thit.^[3][2]

Its origin is unclear.^[3][2][6] A starting point Proto-Germanic *þat-se, dat with the deictic particle ⟨s⟩ of deze, has been proposed;^[7][4] Van Haeringen and De Vries thought it might explain the Old High German form, its vowel changed under the influence of other pronouns.^[7][4] The EWN finds it very doubtful, since it would not regularly give an ⟨i⟩ and the cluster ⟨-ts-⟩ would have become ⟨-ss-⟩.^[3] It suggests instead that the unstressed neuter *þat was adapted to the masculine and feminine forms with ⟨-i-⟩ or ⟨-e-⟩, as in die.^[3] Franck and Van Wijk thought none of the older proposals, such as Proto-Indo-European *ted-de, likely.^[2] Old English þis (English ⟨this⟩) and a Runic Norse form belong rather with ⟨deze⟩.^[3]

The emphatic ⟨ditte⟩ may have arisen late under the influence of the longer ⟨deze⟩.^[7][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch thiz is first recorded in the Willeram of about 1100: Thiz is thiu stemma mines wines “This is the voice of my beloved”.^[3][5] The Reimbibel of 1151–1200 has Thit gerihte “this judgement”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch dit pointed to a neuter thing just mentioned or near the speaker or writer, often strengthened by hier, as in dit leuen hier “this life here” (1265).^[1] It was often run together with neighbouring words: dets “this is”, endit “and this”.^[1] Used on its own it could refer to a whole matter: Also er thiz habet getan, “when he had done this”.^[5]

From the 17th century dit en dat “this and that” stood in for a word one wished to avoid, such as an oath or a term of abuse: Ick sweer by dit en dat (1636).^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Old Dutch thiz is recorded in the Willeram.^[3][5]
• 1151–1200 – thit is recorded in the Reimbibel.^[5]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch dit appears in Limburg, in the Servatius legend.^[3][1]
• 1201–1225 – dit is recorded in Floyris.^[9][3]
• 1240–1260 – The emphatic ditte is recorded.^[3]
• 1636 – dit en dat replaces an oath in Meulewels's Timon Misanthropos.^[8]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. this: with a neuter singular noun, pointing to something near the speaker: Dit huis is te koop.^[10][11]
2. Used on its own: this, this thing or matter: Is dit van jou?^[11][1]

Related words

• deze
• dat
• die

Usage notes

dit en dat still replaces a curse in loop naar de dit en dat “go to the devil”.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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
2. ^ a b c d Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
4. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e f Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
6. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 252
7. ^ a b c Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b c Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
11. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org