schaffen German · revision 35000

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʃafən/, [ˈʃa.fɱ̍], [-fn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''schaffen''' (class 6 strong, third-person singular present schafft, past tense schuf, past participle geschaffen, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ In the senses “to manage, carry, work” it is weak: ''schaffte'', ''geschafft''.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ Old High German still had umlaut in the present (''skeffis'', ''skeffit''); the forms without it have prevailed since Middle High German, under the influence of the weak verb.^(DWB|14, 2016)^(Paul 2002) The past was written ''schuf'' or ''schuff'' until ''schuf'' became general in the later 18th century.^(DWB|14, 2016)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|schaffen]], [[inh|goh|skephen|t=to create, make, shape]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*skappjan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*skapjaną|t=to create, shape]].^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Wiktionary)^(Seebold 1970) The same strong verb is [[got|𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌺𐌰𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=gaskapjan|t=to create]], [[non|skepja]], [[ang|scieppan]], [[ofs|skeppa]] and [[osx|skeppian]].^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Seebold 1970)

+

+ Kluge separates three strands.^(Kluge 2011|792) The old strong verb had a present in /-j-/; this present later got a weak past and became [[schöpfen]], while the strong past [[m|goh|scuof]] and participle [[m|goh|giscaffan]] got a new regular present, the modern verb.^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Paul 2002)^(Seebold 1970) Beside it stood a weak verb [[goh|scaffōn|t=to arrange, order, make]], like [[non|skapa]], whose present fell together with that of the strong verb in Middle High German.^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) The strands cannot always be told apart, and the clear split of meaning between strong and weak forms is modern.^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wiktionary) The Old High German Dictionary finds no evidence for such a strong present in Old High German itself.^(AWB|8, 992) English [[m|en|shape]], with its old strong participle, has the same double conjugation.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Pfeifer and the Duden take the first sense to have been “to carve, work with a scraper”, linking the verb with [[schaben]], [[Schaft]] and [[Scheffel]] and a root [[ine-pro|*(s)kā̆b(h)-|t=to cut with a sharp tool]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) Kluge compares a family just as hard to delimit in Indo-Iranian, represented by an Old Indic verb meaning “to fasten, prop”, whose senses also belong to woodworking, and by [[kho|ṡkīm-|t=to make, create]].^(Kluge 2011|792)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''skephen'' “to create, make, shape, order” and ''skaffōn'' “to create, form, arrange, decree” are both recorded in glosses from about 765, then in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid, Notker, the Murbach Hymns and Williram.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|284)^(Kluge 2011|792) The strong verb could also mean “to draw water”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The strong verb took the sense of divine and artistic creation, as in Luther's ''Am anfang schuff Gott Himel vnd Erden'' (Genesis 1:1) and Wieland's ''schuf Rafael seine Galathee''.^(Paul 2002) The nouns [[Schöpfer]] (already Old High German), [[Geschöpf]] (around 1500) and [[Schöpfung]] belong to the old present.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|792) The participle gave ''wie geschaffen für'' “as if made for”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ The weak verb kept the senses “to arrange, order, get done”: in Bavarian and Austrian it meant “to order, command”, from which comes the legal word [[Schöffe]], and Adelung found ''Was schaffen sie?'' “what are your orders?” strange to High German ears.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Adelung 1793) In the south-west it means simply “to work”.^(Kluge 2011|792)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The modern colloquial senses “to manage, cope with” and “to wear out” developed from “to get done”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Compounds formed on the weak verb include ''abschaffen'' (Middle High German), ''anschaffen'' and ''beschaffen'' (15th century) and ''herbeischaffen'' (17th century).^(Duden 7 2020) The word was borrowed into Dutch as ''schaffen'' (1350), and into Danish and Faroese.^(LWP)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''skephen'' and ''skaffōn'' appear in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Middle High German – ''abeschaffen'' “to do away with” appears.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 1350 – Dutch ''schaffen'' “to procure” is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 15th century – ''anschaffen'' and ''beschaffen'' appear.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * c. 1500 – ''Geschöpf'' “creature” is formed.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 16th century – ''erschaffen'' “to create” appears.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * Later 18th century – The past ''schuf'' becomes general.^(DWB|14, 2016)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(strong)'' To [[m|en|create]], to call into being: ''Gott schuf die Welt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(strong)'' Of an artist: to create, produce a work: ''Der Bildhauer schuf eine Bronzefigur.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(strong, sometimes weak)'' To bring about, establish: ''neue Stellen schaffen'', ''Ordnung schaffen'', ''Abhilfe schaffen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(weak)'' To [[m|en|manage]], to [[m|en|accomplish]];^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''es schaffen'' “to make it”;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''(colloquial)'' to catch a train, to pass an exam.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(weak, colloquial)'' To wear out, exhaust: ''Der lange Tag hat mich geschafft.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(weak)'' To take, carry somewhere: ''die Kisten auf den Dachboden schaffen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(weak, regional, especially southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria)'' To work.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[erschaffen]]

+ * [[Schöpfer]]

+ * [[Geschöpf]]

+ * [[Schöpfung]]

+ * [[Schaffen]]

+ * [[abschaffen]]

+ * [[anschaffen]]

+ * [[beschaffen]]

+ * [[verschaffen]]

+ * [[herbeischaffen]]

+ * [[wegschaffen]]

+ * [[Schaffner]]

+ * [[Geschäft]]

+ * [[rechtschaffen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[schöpfen]]

+ * [[schaben]]

+ * [[Schöffe]]

+ * [[-schaft]]

+ * [[en|shape]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Several fixed phrases belong to the weak verb: ''sich an etwas zu schaffen machen'' “to busy oneself with something”, ''jemandem zu schaffen machen'' “to give someone trouble”, and ''mit etwas nichts zu schaffen haben'' “to have nothing to do with something”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Frohes Schaffen!'' is a jocular wish for someone setting to work.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) In the sense “to acquire” both participles are found: ''ein Vermögen geschaffen'' or ''geschafft''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}