einige German · revision 34899

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=4th quarter of the 8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gmw-pro *ainag}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''einige''' (plural of the indefinite pronoun and numeral ''einiger'', ''einige'', ''einiges'')^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ A following adjective was at first inflected strong; weak endings spread in some cases from the 15th century, and the genitive plural, mostly weak in the 18th and early 19th centuries, has returned to strong inflection.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|einic]], [[inh|goh|einīg|t=any]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*ainag]], used in the plural; the word was formed from the numeral [[ein]] with the suffix variant [[m|goh|-īg]].^(Kluge 2011|235)^(DWB2|7, 753)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[osx|ēnig]], [[gml|ēinich]], [[ofs|ēnich]], [[ang|ǣnig]] and [[non|einigr]], and today [[nl|eenig]] and [[en|any]].^(DWB2|7, 753)^(Kluge 2011|235)

+

+ The adjective [[einig]] “united, in agreement” goes back instead to [[m|goh|einag]], with the suffix variant [[m|goh|-ag]], and corresponds to [[got|𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌷𐌰|tr=ainaha|t=only]].^(DWB2|7, 749)^(Pfeifer 1993) Paul stresses that the two uses were distinct from the start; the Duden gives them numbered headwords.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|227)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''einīg'' is first recorded in glosses of the last quarter of the 8th century.^(Köbler AHD) It meant “any, anyone”, and served to name something of any kind, mostly in negative, interrogative and conditional clauses:^(Kluge 2011|235)^(DWB2|7, 753) the Old High German Isidor (late 8th century) says that ''noh einic chiscaft ni archennida'' “nor did any creature know”.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “any” was the only one until about 1600, as it still is in English ''any''.^(DWB2|7, 753) Early in the 17th century the new sense “some, several” appeared on the border between Low and Middle Franconian, and in Dutch; it reached Upper Germany before 1700 and drove out the older use during the 18th century, at the same time pushing back the synonym ''etlich''.^(DWB2|7, 753)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) Kluge also dates the plural meaning “several” to the 17th century.^(Kluge 2011|235) Paul quotes the old use from Luther (''kein Handwerksmann einiges Handwerks'' “no craftsman of any craft”) and Pestalozzi (''ohne einigen Zweifel'' “without any doubt”).^(Paul 2002) In 1796 Heynatz still warned against using ''einiger'' for ''irgend ein''.^(DWB2|7, 753) The dialects did not adopt the new sense, though the old one has died out there too.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+

+ The adverb [[einigermaßen]] “to some extent” arose around 1700 from the genitive phrase ''einiger Maßen''.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Last quarter of the 8th century – Old High German ''einīg'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Late 8th century – The Old High German Isidor uses ''einic'' “any”.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+ * Early 17th century – The sense “some, several” appears in the Franconian area of the Lower Rhine.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+ * Before 1700 – The new sense reaches Upper Germany.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+ * c. 1700 – ''einiger Maßen'', the source of ''einigermaßen'', is recorded.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 1796 – Heynatz criticises ''einiger'' in the old sense “any”.^(DWB2|7, 753)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner and pronoun===

+ # ''(plural)'' A few, [[m|en|several]], [[m|en|some]]: ''Einige Kollegen waren schon da.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(singular,'' einiger'','' einiges'')'' A certain, not very large amount of: ''nach einigem Zögern''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(singular and plural)'' Considerable, quite a lot of: ''Das Projekt verlangt einige Geduld.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[einigermaßen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ein]]

+ * [[einig]]

+ * [[etlich]]

+ * [[en|any]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}