vandaag

Forms

vandaag^[1]

Etymology

It is from Dutch van + dag, a contraction of the Middle Dutch dative phrase van den daghe (“on this day”).^[2][3][4][1] The article ⟨den⟩ was dropped, as German ⟨von dem⟩ became ⟨vom⟩, and the final ⟨-e⟩ of the dative was lost.^[2] The same pattern gave vanmorgen, vanochtend, vanmiddag, vanavond and vannacht.^[2][5]

The older word was heden, from a pronoun stem and the instrumental of dag, which is now mostly limited to writing and the pulpit.^[6] The English word today, Old English tō dæg, was also a new formation, while German heute and West Frisian hjoed kept the old type, and Danish i dag is a phrase with a preposition.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch used the full phrase, as in De tiende wile van den daghe, “at the tenth hour today”, of 1285.^[2][7] The contracted form vandaich is first found in a legal text of Gouda of 1488, which orders all the guilds to have a torch made that day to receive the duke with honour.^[2][6][8]

Semantic evolution

The phrase still appears written separately in the 16th and 17th centuries, as in van dage (1508) and tis van daegh, Den vierden Februarij (1612).^[2] From the plain sense “on this day” developed vandaag de dag and vandaag aan de dag, “nowadays”, recorded from 1932.^[6][9] In the south, de dag van vandaag was formed after French le jour d’aujourd’hui, and a writer of 1806 already mocked it.^[6] Van vandaag op morgen, “overnight, at once”, follows French du jour au lendemain.^[6]

The word spread with Dutch: German dialects near the border have vandage, and it was taken into Javindo, Negerhollands (fanda), Berbice Dutch (fandaka) and Skepi Dutch (fandak), which passed it on to Virgin Islands Creole.^[10][1] Afrikaans has vandag.^[1]

Timeline

• 1285 – The phrase van den daghe “today” is recorded.^[2]
• 1488 – The contracted form vandaich appears in Gouda.^[2][8][3]
• 1612 – Tis van daegh, Den vierden Februarij “today is the fourth of February” is written.^[2]
• 1806 – De dag van vandaag is criticised as a gallicism.^[6]
• 1932 – Vandaag den dag “nowadays” is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. today, on this day: Vandaag gaan we naar de markt.^[9][11][1]
2. (vandaag de dag) nowadays, at present.^[9][6]

Related words

• dag
• van
• heden
• gisteren
• morgen
• vanavond
• vannacht

Usage notes

Dat is niet van vandaag of gisteren means that something is well founded and has been thought over.^[9][6]

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 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. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
5. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
11. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org