nach German · revision 34780

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *nēhw}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /naːx/, /nax/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''nach''' (preposition with the dative; adverb)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ In northern colloquial speech the vowel is short.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|nāch]], [[inh|goh|nāh]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*nāhw]], [[inh|gem-pro|*nēhw|t=near]].^(Kluge 2011|645)^(Wiktionary) It was originally the adverb of the adjective [[nah]], with the development “near to” > “immediately after”.^(Kluge 2011|645)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) The final /h/ of the Old High German word became ⟨ch⟩ here, while the adjective continues its inflected forms.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The same adverb is [[got|𐌽𐌴𐍈𐌰|tr=nēƕa]], [[ang|nēah]], [[ofs|nēi]], [[gml|nā]] and [[dum|na]], and it survives in [[nl|na]] and [[en|nigh]].^(Kluge 2011|645)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) Kroonen takes the adjective [[gem-pro|*nēhwaz|t=near]] as a lengthened-grade formation from the root [[ine-pro|*h₂neḱ-|t=to reach]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''nāh'' is found as an adverb, “near, almost, afterwards”, in glosses of the third quarter of the 8th century, and as a preposition, “near, by, behind, according to”, in glosses and the Monsee Fragments at the end of the 8th century;^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Schützeichel 2012|232) Tatian, Otfrid and Notker use both.^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Schützeichel 2012|232)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The starting point was the adverb with verbs of motion, “into the vicinity of something”; this gave “towards something” and, when the goal itself moved, “behind, after”, and in time ''nach'' became the opposite of ''vor''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The old sense “near” is still preserved in [[Nachbar]], and ''nach'' was used for “near” until the 18th century, as by Schiller.^(Paul 2002) With names of countries and towns (''er kam nach England'') it replaced Middle High German ''ze'' and ''zuo''.^(Paul 2002) The sense “according to” (''nach meiner Meinung'') is already found in Old High German.^(Köbler AHD)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ As an independent adverb it lives on in the phrases ''nach wie vor'' “still, as before” and ''nach und nach'' “gradually”, and above all as the first element of separable verbs (''nachfahren'', ''nachkommen'').^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The conjunction ''nachdem'' was still written as two words, ''nach dem'', in the 15th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 3rd quarter of the 8th century – Old High German ''nāh'' as an adverb in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * End of the 8th century – ''nāh'' as a preposition in glosses and the Monsee Fragments.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 15th century – ''nach dem'' “after” is written separately;^(Pfeifer 1993) ''nacheinander'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Around 1600 – ''Nachricht'' “message” is first recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – Schiller still uses ''nach'' in the old sense “near”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # Towards, in the [[m|en|direction]] of: ''nach oben'', ''nach links''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To (a destination, especially a place name): ''nach Amerika fliegen'', ''nach Hause'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''(regional)'' also before other nouns, ''nach Oma gehen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|after]] (in time): ''nach wenigen Minuten'', ''fünf nach drei''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # After, behind (in order or rank): ''eins nach dem andern''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With certain verbs, marks the object aimed at: ''nach etwas greifen'', ''sich nach jemandem sehnen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|according]] to; after the model of: ''nach meiner Meinung'', ''frei nach Goethe''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # After, following: ''mir nach!'' “follow me!”; in ''nach und nach'' “gradually” and ''nach wie vor'' “still”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nachdem]]

+ * [[nacheinander]]

+ * [[nachahmen]]

+ * [[nachgerade]]

+ * [[nachhaltig]]

+ * [[Nachmittag]]

+ * [[Nachnahme]]

+ * [[Nachricht]]

+ * [[Nachruf]]

+ * [[Nachtisch]]

+ * [[Nachwelt]]

+ * [[Nachwort]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Nachbar]]

+ * [[nah]]

+ * [[en|nigh]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}