helfen German · revision 35190

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 765, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *helpaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈhɛlfn̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''helfen''' (class 3 strong, third-person singular present hilft, past tense half, past participle geholfen, past subjunctive hülfe, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ Middle High German had the preterite plural ''hulfen'' beside the singular ''half'', and it is still frequent after the 16th century, as in Luther's ''hulfen'' and ''holfen''.^(DWB|10, 949) The plural ''halfen'', modelled on the singular, was general by the 17th century.^(DWB|10, 949)

+ Beside the old subjunctive ''hülfe'', ''hälfe'' has been used since the 18th century.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|helfen]], [[inh|goh|helfan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*helpan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*helpaną|t=to help]].^(Kluge 2011|409)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same strong verb is [[got|𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽|tr=hilpan]], [[non|hjalpa]], [[ang|helpan]], [[ofs|helpa]] and [[osx|helpan]], and in the modern languages [[nl|helpen]], [[en|help]], [[sv|hjälpa]] and [[is|hjálpa]].^(Kluge 2011|409)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) In Old High German the shifted /pf/ was simplified to /f/ after /l/ at an early date, and the present singular shows /e/ raised to /i/ before a following /i/ or /u/.^(EWA|4, 931)

+

+ The verb has no exact match outside Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|409)^(Kroonen 2013) The usual comparison is [[lt|šelpti|alt=šel̃pti|t=to support, help]], from which Pfeifer reconstructs [[ine-pro|*ḱelb-]] (in Baltic *ḱelp-) “to help, support”;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) the Duden dictionary calls the Baltic connection probable and further links uncertain.^(Duden 7 2014|378) Kluge also mentions the variant [[m|lt|gelbėti|alt=gélbėti|t=to help]], and thinks a derivation from [[ine-pro|*ḱel-|t=to conceal, shelter]] (as in [[hehlen]]) possible.^(Kluge 2011|409) Pfeifer leaves open whether that root or [[m|ine-pro|*ḱel-|alt=*ḱel-|t=to incline]] is meant.^(Pfeifer 1993) Kroonen notes that deriving the Germanic verb from such a form requires an iterative verb that is not attested, and wonders whether the Lithuanian verb was borrowed from a lost Slavic word that itself came from Germanic.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''helfan'' is first found in glosses of about 765 and is common in the early texts: the Isidor translation, Tatian, Otfrid, the ''Muspilli'', the ''Ludwigslied'' and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|147) It meant “to help, stand by, support, be of use” with a dative or accusative, and with a genitive “to help someone to something”; with a reflexive genitive it meant “to hurry, strive”.^(Schützeichel 2012|147)^(EWA)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Older German also put the person helped in the accusative, as in Lessing's ''was hilft es ihn'' and Goethe's childish ''ich helfe dich''; today the dative is the rule.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The oath ''so wahr mir Gott helfe'' reflects the medieval idea of the judgement of God, and Old High German already has ''hulfe mir got''.^(Paul 2002) Colloquial ''ich werde dir helfen!'' is a threat: “don't you dare do that again”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ Among the derivatives, Luther used ''Helfer'' to translate “deacon”, which survives in Switzerland and Swabia as the title of an assistant preacher.^(Paul 2002) ''Helfershelfer'' first meant a comrade in a feud (early 15th century) and since the 17th century has increasingly meant an accomplice.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|378) Czech borrowed the verb as [[cs|helfnout]], and the Polish dialect of Cieszyn as ''helfnóć''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''helfan'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''helfen'' in Williram's paraphrase of the Song of Songs.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * Early 15th century – ''Helfershelfer'' “comrade in a feud”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – Luther still uses the preterite plural ''hulfen''.^(DWB|10, 949)

+ * 17th century – The plural ''halfen'' has become general.^(DWB|10, 949)

+ * 18th century – The subjunctive ''hälfe'' appears beside ''hülfe''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|help]], [[m|en|assist]] someone (with the dative) so that they reach a goal more easily: ''Sie half ihrem Nachbarn beim Umzug.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be useful, to further an aim: ''Ein guter Plan hilft, Zeit zu sparen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Of a remedy, to be [[m|en|effective]]: ''Der Tee hilft gegen Halsschmerzen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Hilfe]]

+ * [[Helfer]]

+ * [[Helfershelfer]]

+ * [[abhelfen]]

+ * [[aushelfen]]

+ * [[behelfen]]

+ * [[Behelf]]

+ * [[verhelfen]]

+ * [[unbeholfen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|help]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Sich zu helfen wissen'' is to know how to get out of a difficulty, and ''jemandem ist nicht zu helfen'' means that all help or advice is wasted on someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Ich kann mir nicht helfen'', “I can't help it”, introduces an opinion one cannot shake off.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}