sie German · revision 34793

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century|origins=gem-pro *sī}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ziː/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Colloquial: /zə/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sie''' (personal pronoun, third person feminine singular and third person plural; genitive ''ihrer'', dative ''ihr'' or plural ''ihnen'', accusative ''sie'')^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|si]], [[inh|goh|siu]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sī]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sī|t=she]].^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Wiktionary)^(Orel 2003) The same form is [[got|𐍃𐌹|tr=si]], which serves only as the nominative singular feminine, all other forms of the Gothic pronoun coming from another stem.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(DWB|16, 759) The Grimms' dictionary considers this the original Germanic state.^(DWB|16, 759) Outside Germanic the form is matched by [[sga|sí|t=she]] and by a relic in Greek.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Orel 2003)

+

+ Kluge explains it as a feminine built on the reflexive stem [[ine-pro|*se]], extended by an anaphoric particle or blended with the more widespread pronoun of the stem [[ine-pro|*i-]], and later transferred to the plural.^(Kluge 2011|847) Pfeifer describes how the German paradigm grew: on the model of the demonstrative ([[m|goh|thiu]], accusative [[m|goh|thia]]) the pronoun formed a nominative [[m|goh|siu]] and an accusative [[m|goh|sia]], and since these now had the endings of strong adjectives, it built its plural in the same way (masculine [[m|goh|sie]], feminine [[m|goh|sio]], neuter like the feminine singular).^(Pfeifer 1993) Already in Old High German these full forms were reduced to [[m|goh|sī]] and [[m|goh|si]] beside the masculine plural form, and these remained in Middle High German until a single form prevailed for all of them in modern German.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

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+ The English pronoun [[m|en|she]] is not the same word: the Grimms derive it from the demonstrative [[ang|sēo]], since all Old English dialects have forms beginning with h for the personal pronoun.^(DWB|16, 759)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The pronoun is recorded from the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|847) In Old High German it belongs to the paradigm of ''er'' “he”, which is found in glosses perhaps as early as the first half of the 8th century and in nearly all the literary texts, from the ''Exhortatio ad plebem Christianam'' and Tatian to Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|89)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 12th century ''sie'' was also used as a noun for a female being: Walther von der Vogelweide has ''ez sî ein sie, ez sî ein er'' (“be it a she or a he”).^(Paul 2002)^(Lexer 1872) The noun was often applied to female animals, especially birds, and its diminutive became the hunters' word ''Sieke'' for a hen bird.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

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+ The polite ''Sie'' began as an ordinary third-person plural pronoun beside the plural titles that came into use for persons of high rank in the 16th century (''Euer Gnaden haben …, sie haben …'', “Your Grace have …, they have …”).^(Duden 7 2020) From the early 17th century it addressed a prince directly, and by the end of the century it was a general form of address, at first beside the older ''Ihr''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) At the same time the feminine singular ''Sie'', with a singular verb, was used to address a woman, at first more politely than ''Ihr''; in the 18th century it sank to an address for social inferiors and was replaced by the plural ''Sie'' for both sexes.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The verb [[siezen]] “to address with ''Sie''” dates from the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – First record in Old High German.^(Kluge 2011|847)

+ * 12th century – Used as a noun for a female: Walther von der Vogelweide's ''ein sie''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – Plural titles such as ''Euer Gnaden'' are taken up with the plural ''sie''.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * Early 17th century – ''Sie'' is used to address a princely person.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''Sie'' addresses a woman with a singular verb; the verb ''siezen'' appears.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Late 17th century – The plural ''Sie'' becomes a general form of address.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – ''Sie'' is the usual address among nobles and the educated middle class and is written with a capital.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|she]], her: refers to a feminine noun, a person or a thing already mentioned.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|they]], them: refers to a plural noun or to several persons or things;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''(colloquial)'' people in general or the authorities.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(capitalised, '''Sie''')'' The formal [[m|en|you]], singular or plural, used to anyone not addressed as ''du'' or ''ihr''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(dated, capitalised)'' Formerly, an address to a female [[m|en|subordinate]], with a singular verb.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(colloquial, '''die Sie''')'' A female person or animal.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[siezen]]

+ * [[Sieke]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[er]]

+ * [[es]]

+ * [[ihr]]

+ * [[dieser]]

+ * [[goh|siu]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In speech the pronoun is often reduced to /zə/, written ''se'' or ''-se''.^(Wiktionary) The genitive is ''ihrer''; the shorter ''ihr'' (''wir werden uns ihr annehmen'') is dated.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}