da German · revision 35557

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German|origins=ine-pro *to-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /daː/, [däː]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''da''' (adverb and conjunction, invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old High German ''dâr'' lost its final ''-r'' in the 11th and 12th centuries, and after about 1300 the form ''dâr'' is found only in central and northern German sources.^(DWB2|6, 1) It was revived in the late 15th century, was most frequent in the 17th and went out of use in the second half of the 18th.^(DWB2|6, 1) Most dialects changed it to ''do'' (first in Bavarian in the 12th century), but since the end of the 17th century only ''da'' has been written.^(DWB2|6, 1)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The modern word continues a local adverb, [[inh|gmh|dā]], also [[m|gmh|dār]], [[inh|goh|dār]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*þǣr|t=there]].^(Kluge 2011|177)^(Wiktionary) The same adverb is [[osx|thār]], [[ang|þǣr]] and [[ofs|thēr]], while [[got|𐌸𐌰𐍂|tr=þar]] and [[non|þar]] go back to a form with a short vowel, [[gem-pro|*þar|t=there]].^(Kluge 2011|177)^(Kroonen 2013) Kluge lists [[nl|daar]], [[en|there]], [[sv|där]] and [[is|þar]] as the same word.^(Kluge 2011|177) It was formed with the locative suffix [[m|gem-pro|*-r]] from the demonstrative stem [[ine-pro|*to-|t=that]], the stem of the article [[m|de|der]]; the different vowels may be ablaut grades or special developments in unstressed position.^(Kluge 2011|177)^(Duden 7 2020|187)^(Kroonen 2013) The final /r/ was lost in such unstressed words from Middle High German times, but it survives before a vowel in compounds such as [[daran]] and [[darin]], where it keeps the vowels apart.^(Kluge 2011|177)^(Duden 7 2020|187)

+

+ The temporal sense “then” comes from another adverb, [[gmh|dō]], [[goh|dō]], [[osx|thō]], with Old English [[m|ang|þā]] corresponding.^(Kluge 2011|177)^(Duden 7 2020|187) Kluge gives two explanations: a long-vowel, probably instrumental, adverb from the same demonstrative stem, or the feminine accusative singular of the demonstrative pronoun with a word for “time” understood.^(Kluge 2011|177) Duden and the second edition of the Grimms' dictionary favour the accusative, comparing the Gothic pronoun.^(Duden 7 2020|187)^(DWB2|6, 10) On that view the Old High German and Old Saxon vowel is irregular and must be due to the local adverb.^(Kluge 2011|177)

+

+ From the 14th century the temporal form was more and more replaced by the local one; by the middle of the 16th century the merged form had prevailed, and the older one lingered only in Swiss texts into the early 17th century.^(DWB2|6, 10) The second edition of the Grimms' dictionary ascribes this less to dialect sound change than to the habit of picturing relations in time in terms of place.^(DWB2|6, 10) Duden 7 and Paul treat modern German as having merged them.^(Duden 7 2020|187)^(Paul 2002) Wiktionary adds a third source, [[gmh|dare|t=thither]], [[goh|dara]], which has mostly given way to [[hin]] and [[dahin]] but survives in verbs such as [[darbringen]].^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|2, 535)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''dār'' is recorded from 765 in the glosses, and in almost every later text.^(Köbler AHD) In the Old High German Isidor of the late 8th century, ''dhese ist dhar chiboran'' “this one was born there” renders Latin ''iste natus est ibi''.^(DWB2|6, 1) The temporal ''thō, dō'' “then, at that time; when” appears in the Hildebrandslied, Isidor, Otfrid and Notker.^(Schützeichel 2012|74)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The local adverb is at first demonstrative and points to what is further from the speaker, in contrast with [[hier]]; it can follow a noun closely, as in ''die Frau da'' “that woman there”.^(Paul 2002) In Early New High German forms with ''dar-'' such as ''darbei'' and ''darmit'' were common before consonants too, and the chancery style kept them into the 18th century;^(Paul 2002) Goethe often used them in his letters.^(Paul 2002) Shortened forms such as [[dran]], [[drauf]] and [[drin]] belong to colloquial and poetic language, while [[droben]], [[drinnen]], [[draußen]] and [[drüben]] became the only forms in use.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The temporal adverb from the start mostly pointed to a moment in the past, and it was often placed at the head of a sentence in narrative: ''dô wuohs in Niderlanden eins rîchen küneges kint'' (“then there grew up in the Netherlands the child of a mighty king”), says the Nibelungenlied.^(DWB|2, 656) Luther often used it this way.^(DWB|2, 656) It later became a conjunction, first of time (now dated) and then of cause.^(Kluge 2011|177)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * Late 8th century – The Old High German Isidor uses ''dhar'' for Latin ''ibi''.^(DWB2|6, 1)

+ * 11th–12th century – The local adverb loses its final ''-r''.^(DWB2|6, 1)

+ * 14th century – The temporal ''do'' begins to be replaced by ''da''.^(DWB2|6, 10)

+ * Mid-16th century – ''da'' has prevailed in the temporal sense too.^(DWB2|6, 10)

+ * Second half of the 18th century – The revived form ''dar'' goes out of use.^(DWB2|6, 1)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|there]]: at that place: ''Da drüben steht mein Fahrrad.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|here]], at this place; also present, available: ''Ist noch Kaffee da?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(temporal)'' [[m|en|then]], at that moment: ''Wir saßen beim Essen, da klingelte es.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Under these circumstances; in this respect: ''Da muss ich dir recht geben.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # Opening a conversation or a story: ''Da sitze ich gestern im Bus, und wer steigt ein?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Standing for a pronominal adverb split into parts, as in northern German ''da weiß ich nichts von''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # [[m|en|since]], [[m|en|because]], as: ''Da es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary, dated)'' [[m|en|when]]: ''in den Jahren, da er noch jung war''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ebenda]]

+ * [[dahinten]]

+ * [[dahinter]]

+ * [[daran]]

+ * [[darin]]

+ * [[darauf]]

+ * [[dabei]]

+ * [[damit]]

+ * [[dahin]]

+ * [[Dasein]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[allda]]

+ * [[dar]]

+ * [[dann]]

+ * [[dort]]

+ * [[m|de|der]]

+ * [[en|there]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Da und dort'' means “here and there; now and then”, and ''von da an'' is “from then on”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Duden 7 2020|187) The noun [[Dasein]] “existence” builds on the sense “present”.^(Adelung 1793|1, 1360)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}