Etymologically
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wanneer

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Pronunciation

  • /ʋɑˈneːr/[1]
  • Netherlands: [ʋɑˈnɪːr], [ʋɑˈnɪər][1]
  • Belgium: [βɑˈneːr][1]

Forms

wanneer[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch wanneer, also written separately ⟨wan eer⟩, from Middle Dutch wan (“when”) + eer (“earlier, before”), literally “when earlier”.[2][3][4] The same compound is Old Saxon hwan ēr and Old Frisian hwanēr (modern West Frisian wannear).[2][3][5]

The first part, with the by-form ⟨wanne⟩, is a simple word mainly in eastern Old and Middle Dutch, as in Old Dutch wanne around 1100.[2] It is the same as Old Saxon hwanna, Old High German hwanne (modern German wann and wenn, kept apart in function only since the 18th century), Old English hwænne (modern English when) and Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌽 (ƕan), from Proto-Germanic *hwan.[2][3][1] It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷom-nē, from the interrogative stem *kʷo- (see hoe), with the suffix also found in dan; Latin cum (“when”) (older ⟨quom⟩) and Lithuanian kà (“when”) are related.[2][3] A similar formation gave the conjunction want3.[2][3]

The poetic wen “when” continues the first part on its own.[5][4] Middle Dutch ⟨hoeneer⟩ is better seen as a later blend with the word for “how” than as an old formation.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record is from 1220–1240, in a line saying that someone lamented loudly wan eer so hoge tijt gelach, “whenever a high feast came”.[2][7] A charter of 1236 begins waner men desen brief in diedsch lesen sal, “when this letter is read out in Dutch”, and the interrogative use is found in 1276–1300: wanneer starf di, “when did you die?”[2]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word was both an interrogative adverb and a conjunction of time.[2] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal adds a relative use after a word of time (tot allen tyden, wanneer…, 1505), now-obsolete als wanneer “after which” (1624) and the conditional sense “in which case”.[8] Wanneer dat with a redundant dat is found in 1557.[8]

Dutch took the word to Negerhollands and Berbice Creole Dutch (Berbice Creole Dutch wanere), and it lives on in Afrikaans wanneer.[9][1]

Timeline

  • 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch wan eer “when”.[2][7]
  • 1236 – Waner in a charter.[2]
  • 1276–1300 – Interrogative wanneer: wanneer starf di.[2]
  • 1505 – Relative wanneer after a word of time.[8]
  • 1552 – Wanneer salt kint kersten gedaen worden? “when will the child be christened?”[8]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. At what time, when: wanneer kom je terug?[10][1]
  2. Under what circumstances.[10][8]

Conjunction

  1. When, at the moment that.[10][11]
  2. if, in case.[10]
  3. whenever, each time that.[10][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  4. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  10. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  11. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org