Etymologically
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je

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Pronunciation

Forms

je[1]

Etymology

It is the unstressed form of jij, and like it a Holland form of the pronoun that elsewhere became gij: inherited from Middle Dutch ji, beside gi, inherited from Old Dutch gī, inherited from Proto-Germanic *jīz.[2][1][3] The forms with ⟨j-⟩ are typical of the North Sea Germanic dialects.[2] The Germanic pronoun was *jūz, still seen in Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐍃 (jūs); in West Germanic its vowel was changed after *wīz (“we”).[2][4][5] It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you (plural)”), as are Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám) and Lithuanian jūs.[2][1]

The EWN compares the early enclitic ⟨-je⟩ with Middle Dutch forms such as ⟨begrijpti⟩ “you understand”, in which the pronoun ⟨*ji⟩ was weakened and attached to the verb, and takes it to be the Holland variant of that ending.[2] An older explanation from ⟨-di⟩ by palatalisation, still defended by Van der Sijs, the EWN calls very unlikely.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The pronoun first appears attached to a verb, in Middle Dutch Onrecht hebje “you are wrong”, from the first half of the 14th century.[2] As a separate word je is recorded from 1618.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Je and jij were at first limited to texts from Holland, where they served for both singular and plural, of any rank, and alternated with ghi.[2] In the course of the 17th century they appeared more often in writing but narrowed to the informal singular.[2] With the rise of Holland the jij forms won out in the north, while gij lived on in formal writing and in the south.[3][2]

Besides the subject and object forms, je serves as the unstressed form of the possessive jouw and as a general pronoun for anyone, like English “you” or “one”.[8][1] Negerhollands had joe or ju and Berbice Dutch ju for “you”.[9]

Timeline

  • 1300–1350 – Enclitic -je is recorded in hebje “have you”.[2]
  • 1550 – A spelling guide notes that some people say iy or jy for ghy.[2]
  • 1617 – Jy appears in Hooft's work, in rendering speech.[2][6]
  • 1618 – The separate pronoun je is first recorded.[6]
  • 2004 – The Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling drops gij, the last stronghold of the old form in the Netherlands.[2]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. you, the unstressed form of jij as subject or of jou as object: Heb je het boek gelezen?[8][1]
  2. One, people in general: Zoiets zeg je niet tegen je oma.[8][1]
  3. (colloquial) Referring indirectly to oneself, especially about feelings.[1]

Determiner

  1. your, the unstressed form of jouw; also of jullie.[8]
  2. (stressed) The best of its kind, as in je van het “the very best”, and het is niet je dat, “it is not quite right”.[8]

Usage notes

Before a word that starts with je, or when it is stressed, jij is used instead.[1] Je was used for the plural too before jullie took over that role.[2][10]

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 f g h i j k l m n o 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
  3. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  4. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  5. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 143
  6. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  7. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  8. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  10. ^ 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