beginnen German · revision 34800

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bəˈɡɪnən/, [bəˈɡɪnən], [bəˈɡɪnn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''beginnen''' (class 3 strong, third-person singular present beginnt, past tense begann, past participle begonnen, past subjunctive begänne or begönne, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ The past was originally ''begunde'', ''begonde'' (so also Luther), and the reshaped weak form ''begonnte'' was still used in the 18th century by Gellert, Lessing, Wieland and Goethe.^(Paul 2002) The strong ''begann'', now standard, already occurs in Early New High German.^(Paul 2002)^(FWB)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|beginnen]], [[inh|goh|biginnan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*biginnan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*biginnaną|t=to begin]], formed with the prefix [[gem-pro|*bi-]] on a verb [[m|gem-pro|*ginnaną]] that occurs only with prefixes.^(Kluge 2011|102)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) The prefixed verb is [[osx|biginnan]], [[ofs|biginna]] and [[ang|beginnan]], and today [[nl|beginnen]] and [[en|begin]].^(Kluge 2011|102)^(Pfeifer 1993) With other prefixes the same verb appears in [[got|𐌳𐌿𐌲𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽|tr=duginnan]], [[goh|inginnan]], [[m|ang|onginnan]] and [[dum|ontghinnen|t=to cut into, begin]], and in the noun [[m|goh|anagin|t=beginning]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|4, 581) The North Germanic languages have no form of it.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Its further origin is uncertain, because the verb occurs only with prefixes and its original sense cannot be fixed.^(Kluge 2011|102)^(Duden 7 2020) Kluge, comparing [[anfangen]], [[anpacken]] and [[la|incipiō]], thinks a basic sense “to seize” likely, and connects the root [[ine-pro|*gʰed-|t=to seize]], usually nasalised as in [[la|prehendō|t=to seize]] and [[grc|χανδάνω|tr=khandánō|t=to hold, contain]].^(Kluge 2011|102) The Grimms' revised dictionary also calls this the most probable explanation.^(DWB2|4, 581) Pfeifer finds no secure etymology: he considers the Albanian word for “to begin, take hold of” and a root [[ine-pro|*ǵʰen-]], the same nasalised root, or a word from a non-Indo-European substrate.^(Pfeifer 1993) The Grimms' first edition took the simple verb to mean “to cut, split”, so that beginning was first “cutting into” something.^(DWB|1, 1296)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''biginnan'' is recorded from the 8th century, in glosses and in the Benedictine Rule, Isidor, Tatian, Otfrid, the Ludwigslied and Notker.^(EWA|4, 346)^(Schützeichel 2012|127) It meant “to begin, make a start”, “to undertake, attempt” and “to have a beginning”.^(EWA|4, 346)^(Schützeichel 2012|127) Weak past forms beside the strong ones are explained as modelled on ''kan'' “I can”, whose use was close to that of ''biginnan''.^(EWA|4, 346)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Adelung called the verb obsolete in 1774, but it continued in the written language, while everyday speech prefers [[anfangen]].^(Paul 2002) It could also mean “to do, set about”, as in asking what to do with someone.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The noun [[Beginn]] is recorded as Old High German ''bigin'' around 800, but only rarely, so that Middle High German ''begin'' may be a new formation from the verb.^(Pfeifer 1993) The infinitive used as a noun, ''das Beginnen'', stresses the action, as in Schottel's proverb ''Sich besinnen vor beginnen macht gewinnen''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''biginnan'' is recorded.^(EWA|4, 346)^(Kluge 2011|102)

+ * c. 800 – The noun ''bigin'' “beginning” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – Luther still uses the past ''begunde''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1774 – Adelung calls the verb obsolete.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – The weak past ''begonnte'' still appears in Lessing and Goethe.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|begin]], [[m|en|start]] something: ''einen Brief beginnen'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''mit dem Training beginnen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To do, go about something in a particular way: ''Was soll ich damit beginnen?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To have its start at a time or place: ''Das Konzert beginnt um acht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Beginn]]

+ * [[Beginnen]]

+ * [[Beginner]]

+ * [[Anbeginn]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|begin]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}