nie German · revision 35013

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=8th century}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /niː/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''nie'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|nie]], [[inh|goh|nio]], a fusion of the negative particle and the adverb now [[je]]: [[af|goh|ni|io|t1=not|t2=ever]].^(Kluge 2011|655)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007) The same fusion is [[osx|nio]], and with another form [[ang|nā]].^(Kluge 2011|655)^(DWB|13, 738) In Gothic the parts are still separate, [[got|𐌽𐌹 𐌰𐌹𐍅|tr=ni aiw]].^(Kluge 2011|655)^(Pfeifer 1993) The adverb [[m|goh|io]] goes back to [[gem-pro|*aiwin|t=always, ever]], a case form of a noun meaning “time, eternity” (see [[ewig]]).^(Kluge 2011|455)

+

+ In Gothic and Old High German the word first strengthened a negation already present; after the old negative particle disappeared, it carried the negation alone.^(DWB|13, 738)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''nio'' is recorded from the 8th century, in the Hildebrandslied, glosses of the late 8th century, and then in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “never” and also “not at all, by no means”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|238)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word at first referred only to the past; it has since taken over the future too, replacing ''nimmer'', and Luther still kept the difference between ''nie'' and ''nimmer''.^(Paul 2002) Middle High German used it for past, completed and present action, with or without the particle ''ne''.^(Lexer 1872|2, 75)

+

+ Early New High German often combined it with another negation, as in ''nie kein'', which Luther's Bible has in Luke 22:35 and John 7:46;^(FWB)^(Adelung 1793|3, 490) Adelung around 1800 condemned this doubling as a mistake.^(FWB)^(Adelung 1793|3, 490) Older texts sometimes separated the vowels with an ⟨h⟩, as ''nihe'' and ''niehe''.^(DWB|13, 738) ''Niemals'' was formed in the 16th century, with the same pleonastic ''-mals'' as ''jemals''.^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''nio'' is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|655)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 9th century – ''niomēr'', the ancestor of ''nimmer'', is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''niemals'' appears.^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1793 – Adelung condemns the double negative ''nie kein''.^(Adelung 1793|3, 490)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|never]], at no time: ''Er hat uns nie besucht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Not once, not a single time (within a given period): ''In diesem Sommer war ich nie im Schwimmbad.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # On no account, under no circumstances: ''Den Zug erreichen wir nie.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[niemals]]

+ * [[nimmer]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[je]]

+ * [[niemand]]

+ * [[nein]]

+ * [[ewig]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Nie und nimmer'' means “absolutely not, never ever”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''Nie wieder'' is “never again”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}