me French · revision 16218

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg|origins=ine-pro *h₁me-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /mə/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Paris): /mø/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''me''' (''m’'' before a vowel or mute ''h'').^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|me]], [[inh|la|ego|alt=mē|t=me]], the accusative of [[m|la|ego|t=I]], in unstressed position.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|6/1, 565b)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary) [[moi]] is the same word, from the same Latin form in stressed position.^(Littré 1873)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Northern dialects keep a form “mi” for the indirect object, also found in the Strasbourg Oaths, from Latin [[m|la|ego|alt=mihi|t=to me]] through Vulgar Latin [[m|la-vul|*mi]]; in standard French it has merged with “me”.^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary traces the Latin form to [[ine-pro|*h₁me-]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have ''me'' as an indirect object: ''in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat'' “as far as God gives me knowledge and power”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By the end of the 10th century ''me'' was used as a direct object and elided before a vowel (''m'en'').^(TLFi) With a third-person object pronoun it at first came second (''le m'at tolut''), and only gradually moved to the front (''me le'').^(TLFi) The ethic dative, expressing the speaker's interest in the action (''regardez-moi ça''), is found about 1100 in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) ''Me'' with pronominal verbs (''je me lave'', ''je m'en vais'') is attested about 1050.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 842 – ''Me'' in the Strasbourg Oaths.^(TLFi)

+ * late 10th century – ''Me'' as a direct object; elided ''m’'' in the ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – With pronominal verbs, in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – The ethic dative.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|me]]: first person singular direct object pronoun: ''on me voit''.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # (To) me: indirect object: ''il me parle''.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Myself: reflexive with pronominal verbs: ''je me lave''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(familiar)'' Expresses the speaker's interest in the action: ''goûtez-moi ce vin''.^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mon]]

+ * [[la|ego]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}