gern German · revision 35316

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century|origins=ine-pro *ǵʰer-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡɛrn/, [ɡɛʁn], [ɡɛɐ̯n]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''gern''' (comparative lieber, superlative am liebsten)^(Wiktionary)

+ The variant ''gerne'' is also used.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) Older forms include ''geren'' and ''gären''.^(DWB|5, 3719)

+ The comparative ''gerner'' and superlative ''am gernsten'' were replaced by ''lieber'' and ''am liebsten'', but occur here and there until the 18th century.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|gerne]], [[inh|goh|gerno|t=eagerly, gladly]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*gernō]], [[inh|gem-pro|*gernô|t=willingly, eagerly]], the adverb of the adjective [[m|gem-pro|*gernaz|t=eager, willing]].^(Kluge 2011|351)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) That adjective is [[goh|gern|t=desiring, eager]], [[osx|gern]], [[ang|georn|t=eager]] and [[non|gjarn]], and in Gothic it appears in [[m|got|𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐍃|tr=faihugairns|t=covetous]];^(Kluge 2011|351)^(EWA|4, 176)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|5, 3719) New High German has lost it apart from a few traces.^(Kluge 2011|351)^(EWA|4, 176)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|5, 3719) The same adverb is [[osx|gerno]], [[m|ang|georne]], [[nl|gaarne]], [[sv|gärna]] and [[is|gjarna]].^(Kluge 2011|351)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ It belongs with [[begehren]] and [[Gier]] to the root [[ine-pro|*ǵʰer-|t=to like, desire]], also in [[sa|हर्यति|tr=háryati|t=takes pleasure in]], [[grc|χαίρω|tr=khaírō|t=to rejoice]] and [[la|hortor|t=to urge, encourage]].^(Kluge 2011|351)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) Kluge notes that in the forms without /n/ this root has become mixed with another, the root of [[Geier]], so that the two can no longer always be told apart.^(Kluge 2011|351)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Kluge dates the word to the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|351) The adverb ''gerno'' is found in glosses from the beginning of the 9th century and in the Muspilli, Otfrid, the Ludwigslied and Notker, meaning “eagerly, gladly, willingly, of one's own accord”;^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|126)^(EWA|4, 176) Notker has the comparative ''gernōr'' “rather”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|126)^(EWA|4, 176)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The first sense, “eagerly”, was early weakened to “gladly”.^(Paul 2002) With the subjunctive it expressed a strong wish, as in the Nibelungenlied's ''diu mære ich weste gerne'' “I would gladly know the tale”.^(Paul 2002) Weaker still, it came to mean “readily” and was used of what someone or something tends to do: Early New High German ''gern'' could mean “usually, typically”, and also “easily”.^(Paul 2002)^(FWB) In Early New High German, up to the 18th century, it could also mean “at least”, which survives in ''gut und gern''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Goethe's ''Von Zeit zu Zeit seh' ich den Alten gern'' (“From time to time I like to see the old man”, Faust I) shows the sense “with pleasure”.^(Paul 2002) The ironic ''du kannst mich gern haben'', literally “you can like me”, comes from Bavarian of the 19th century.^(Paul 2002) ''Gernegroß'', someone who would like to be great, a show-off, is found in Fischart in 1575 but is older, since it is recorded as a surname in the 14th century.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – First record of the word.^(Kluge 2011|351)

+ * early 9th century – Old High German ''gerno'' in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 14th century – The alliterating phrase ''gut und gern'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 14th century – ''Gernegroß'' is recorded as a surname.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1575 – Fischart uses ''Gernegroß''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – Last uses of the comparative ''gerner'', ''am gernsten''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 19th century – Bavarian ''du kannst mich gern haben''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|gladly|alt=Gladly]], with pleasure, willingly; with a verb, to [[m|en|like]] doing something: ''Mein Bruder kocht gern.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Expressing agreement or permission, readily: ''Das glaube ich dir gern.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Expressing a wish or polite request: ''Ich hätte gern zwei Brötchen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(especially colloquial)'' Easily, often; of what tends to happen: ''Im Keller bildet sich gern Schimmel.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gernhaben]]

+ * [[Gernegroß]]

+ * [[ungern]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[begehren]]

+ * [[Gier]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Gern'' and ''gerne'' are used side by side; the comparative is ''lieber'' and the superlative ''am liebsten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) ''Gut und gern'' means “easily, at least”, and ''du kannst mich gern haben'' is an ironic way of saying that one wants nothing more to do with someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}