þá

Forms

þá adverb^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then”),^[2][3] the adverb also found as Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌽 (þan), Old Saxon than and Old High German danne.^[4][5] Orel explains the Germanic word as the demonstrative stem with a particle “*na”,^[4] and Köbler and Hellquist trace it to the pronominal stem Proto-Indo-European *to-.^[3][6] Hellquist doubts that it is the same word as Latin tum (“then”), and allows that the Old Norse word may also continue Proto-Norse *þā like Old English þā (“then”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Menota's earliest dated record is the Norwegian runestone N 29 of 1050–1100,^[7] which Rundata dates to the second half of the eleventh century: þa : es : (þ)air : s(k)iþtu : lantom : sinum, normalised þá er þeir skiptu lǫndum sínum “when they divided their lands”.^[8] IcePaHC first has it in the Icelandic Homily Book, which it dates to 1150.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Besides “then, at that time” the adverb marks the next step in a series, draws a conclusion (“in that case”), and opens a main clause after a subordinate one, a use Zoëga calls pleonastic.^[1][10] With er it makes the conjunction þá er “when”, and er could be left out.^[10][11] In verse þá es is usually contracted to þás.^[12] It is in the top frequency band, the hundred commonest words, of de Leeuw van Weenen's basic vocabulary.^[13] It continues as Icelandic þá, Swedish då and Danish da;^[6][2] Hellquist takes the causal conjunction då “since” from German.^[6][2]

Timeline

• 1050–1100 – þa es “when” on the Norwegian runestone N 29.^[7][8]
• 1150 – þá in the Icelandic Homily Book, by IcePaHC's dating.^[9]
• 1150–1250 – þá in the Norwegian fragment NRA norr fragm 81 A.^[14]
• 1200–1225 – þá in AM 619 4to.^[15]

Meanings

Adverb

1. then, at that time;^[1][16] þá er when;^[1][16] þá ok þá at every moment, now and again.^[1][16]
2. then, thereupon, next in a series.^[1][10]
3. then, in that case, accordingly.^[1][11]
4. opening the main clause after a subordinate clause, untranslated.^[1][17]
5. when (for þá er).^[1][11]
6. (poetic) yet, nevertheless.^[18]

Descendants

• Icelandic þá^[2]
• Faroese tá^[2]
• Norwegian Nynorsk då^[2]
• Old Swedish þā^[2]
• Swedish då^[2]
• Old Danish þa^[2]
• Danish da^[2]
• Norwegian Bokmål da^[2]

Related words

• þar
• þat
• sá

Usage notes

The same spelling is the accusative feminine singular and accusative masculine plural of the pronoun sá,^[2][19] a noun þá “thawed ground”,^[1][20][21] and the past tense of þiggja.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. þá
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 415
5. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de
6. ^ a b c d Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. då
7. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. N 29
8. ^ a b Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N 29
9. ^ a b Wallenberg, Joel C.; Ingason, Anton Karl; Sigurðsson, Einar Freyr; Rögnvaldsson, Eiríkur, Icelandic Parsed Historical Corpus, version 0.9
10. ^ a b c Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 731
11. ^ a b c Baetke, Walter (1965–1968), Wörterbuch zur altnordischen Prosaliteratur, Berlin (digital ed. Greifswald 2006), p. 764
12. ^ Finnur Jónsson (1931), Lexicon Poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, 2nd ed., Copenhagen: S. L. Møller, p. 636
13. ^ de Leeuw van Weenen, Andrea (1999), Grundwortschatz Altisländisch, Leiden, p. 10
14. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. NRA norr fragm 81 A
15. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 619 4to
16. ^ a b c Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. þá
17. ^ Hægstad, Marius; Torp, Alf (1909), Gamalnorsk ordbok med nynorsk tyding, Kristiania: Det norske samlaget, p. 471
18. ^ Sveinbjörn Egilsson (1860), Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, Hafniæ: Societas regia antiquariorum septentrionalium, p. 904
19. ^ Faulkes, Anthony (2011), A New Introduction to Old Norse III: Glossary and Index of Names, 4th ed., London: Viking Society for Northern Research, p. s.v. þá
20. ^ Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 732
21. ^ Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. þá