besonders German · revision 35009

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound, derivation|attested=15th century|origins=goh suntar}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [bəˈzɔndɐs], /beˈsɔndɐs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''besonders'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|besunder|t=apart, separately; excellent]] with an adverbial /-s/, a fusion of unstressed [[m|gmh|bī|t=by]] (now [[bei]]) and the adjective and adverb [[m|gmh|sunder|t=apart, set aside, special]], now [[sonder]].^(Kluge 2011|114)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) The /-s/ has been added since Early New High German, on the model of adverbs that come from genitives, and Wahrig and the Duden date the form with it to the 16th century.^(Kluge 2011|114)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Duden 7 2007) A Middle High German [[m|gmh|sunders]] with the same ending already existed, as the Grimms note.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|1, 1633)

+

+ The base [[m|gmh|sunder]] continues [[goh|suntar|t=apart, by itself]], also found in [[osx|sundar]], [[ang|sundor]], [[non|sundr]] and, with another ending, [[got|𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍂𐍉|tr=sundro|t=apart, alone]].^(Kluge 2011|858)^(Köbler MHD) Outside Germanic it is compared with an Old Indic adverb meaning “away, aside”, with [[grc|ἄτερ|tr=áter|t=without]] and, without the /t/ suffix, [[la|sine|t=without]] and [[sga|sain|t=special, different]].^(Kluge 2011|858)

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+ The attributive adjective [[besondere]] grew up beside the adverb: it replaced the simple adjective from late Middle High German times, influenced by the older adverb.^(Kluge 2011|114)^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Kluge dates the word to the 15th century, as Middle High German ''besunder'' “apart, singly, excellently”.^(Kluge 2011|114)^(Pfeifer 1993) The base ''sunder'' meant “set apart, alone, special, outstanding” and, as an adverb, “separately, in particular, very”.^(Lexer 1872|2, 1305)^(Köbler MHD)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The old spatial sense “apart, separately” is frequent in Luther's Bible, where Abraham sets seven lambs apart (''besonders'') and Jesus takes the disciples aside (''besonders'').^(DWB|1, 1633) Adelung, around 1800, regarded such biblical uses as more Upper German than High German, and gave the main sense as “above all, more than others”.^(Adelung 1793) He also noted that the meaning changes with the position of the word: placed before a phrase it singles out one thing among others, placed before an adjective it intensifies it.^(Adelung 1793)

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+ The Grimms called the sense “especially, chiefly” the quite usual one in their time.^(DWB|1, 1633) In modern German the word also intensifies adjectives and, in colloquial speech, verbs, and is often used with a negative, as in ''nicht besonders'' “not particularly”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) A regional use for “odd, strange” is also recorded.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 15th century – Middle High German ''besunder'' is recorded as an adverb.^(Kluge 2011|114)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+ * 15th century – The noun ''Besonderheit'' appears, according to Pfeifer.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – The form with the adverbial ''-s'' becomes established.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Duden 7 2007)

+ * 1793 – Adelung records the senses “apart” and “above all”.^(Adelung 1793)

+ * 18th century – ''Besonderheit'' appears, according to the Duden.^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|separately]], by itself: ''Diese Frage behandeln wir später besonders.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|especially]], above all, [[m|en|particularly]]: ''Besonders im Winter fehlt ihr das Licht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Expressly, with emphasis: ''etwas besonders betonen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(intensifying)'' Very, exceptionally: ''besonders schwer''.^(Duden GWDS 1999) With a negative it means “not very, not much”: ''Das Essen war nicht besonders.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(regional)'' [[m|en|odd]], strange.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[besondere]]

+ * [[Besonderheit]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sonder]]

+ * [[sondern]]

+ * [[bei]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}