wie German · revision 35421

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /viː/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''wie''' (adverb, conjunction; not inflected)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wie]], [[inh|goh|hwio]], [[inh|gem-pro|*hwaiwa]], probably the same word as [[got|𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰|tr=ƕaiwa|t=how]].^(Kluge 2011|986)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) The modern form has two Old High German sources.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) One is ⟨(h)wio⟩, from older ⟨(h)weo⟩ (8th century) and ⟨(h)wēo⟩, which matches the Gothic word.^(Pfeifer 1993) The other is [[m|goh|hwē]] (about 800), matching [[m|got|𐍈𐌴|tr=ƕē|t=with what]]; its long vowel became a diphthong, and when ⟨eo⟩ turned into ⟨io⟩ in the 10th century the two fell together.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ [[osx|hwō]], Dutch [[m|nl|hoe]], [[ang|hū]] and English [[m|en|how]] go back instead to an ablauting form [[gem-pro|*hwō]], while [[non|hví]], [[m|ang|hwī]] and English [[m|en|why]] continue [[m|gem-pro|*hwī]], a variant of the form behind ⟨hwē⟩.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|986)^(Wiktionary) The Grimms' dictionary therefore counts three Proto-Germanic forms behind the German word and its relatives.^(DWB|29, 1448) All of them belong to the interrogative stem [[ine-pro|*kʷo-]], also behind [[wer]] and [[was]]; the forms in ⟨-ē⟩ and ⟨-ī⟩ are old instrumental cases of it, like [[la|quī|t=by what, why]].^(Kluge 2011|986)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|933) The second part of the Gothic form is uncertain: Pfeifer cites W. Schulze's comparison with [[grc|ποῖος|tr=poîos|t=of what kind]] and a compound meaning “having which course”, with a word for “course, way” that Pfeifer also finds in [[goh|ēwa|t=law]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''(h)weo'' is found in the 8th century, and ''wio'' is recorded in glosses of about 765 and then in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “how, in what way, of what kind, how much, why”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|393)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As an interrogative it asks about manner and, before an adjective or adverb, about degree (''wie teuer ist dieses Buch?''), and such questions turn easily into exclamations of wonder.^(Paul 2002) The set greetings ''wie geht's?'' “how are you?” and ''wie geht's, wie steht's'' are recorded in 1582 and 1593.^(Paul 2002) The compound [[wieso]] “why” dates from the 16th century.^(Duden 7 2020|933)

+

+ In comparisons the word means “as, like”, and in colloquial southern German and Austrian use it also stands for “than” and, in Austria, “when” for a past event.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Dialects are split between southern ''wie'' and northern ''wo'', ''wu'', as in Low German, and Dutch and Frisian ''hoe''.^(DWB|29, 1448)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''(h)weo'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|986)

+ * c. 800 – Old High German ''hwē'' appears beside it.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 9th century – The forms ''(h)wio'' and ''(h)wie'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 10th century – ⟨eo⟩ becomes ⟨io⟩ and the two Old High German words merge.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1582 – First record of the greeting ''wie geht's?''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – ''wieso'' “why” is formed.^(Duden 7 2020|933)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|how]]: in what way, by what means (''wie funktioniert das?'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To what [[m|en|degree]], how much (''wie teuer ist dieses Buch?''); also in exclamations.^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''Wie?'', ''wie bitte?'': what did you say?^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # [[m|en|like]], [[m|en|as]]: introducing a comparison.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial, southern Germany, Austria)'' [[m|en|than]].^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial, especially Austria)'' When, as (of the past).^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wieso]]

+ * [[sowie]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wer]]

+ * [[was]]

+ * [[en|how]]

+ * [[en|why]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}