von German · revision 35568

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *fanē}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fɔn/, [fɔn]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''von'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|von]], [[inh|goh|fona]], beside the rarer northern [[m|goh|fana]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|3, 466) The preposition is found only in the continental West Germanic languages: [[osx|fan]], [[gml|van]], [[odt|fan]], [[nl|van]] and [[ofs|fon]].^(EWA|3, 466)^(AWB|3, 1069)^(Pfeifer 1993) Gothic, Old English and Old Norse lack it and use other words, such as [[got|𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌼|tr=fram]] and [[ang|fram]].^(AWB|3, 1069)^(EWA|3, 466)^(DWB|26, 737)

+

+ The EWA traces the forms ending in a vowel to [[gmw-pro|*fanē]] and those ending in a consonant to a newer [[m|gmw-pro|*fana]], which took its final vowel from the preposition [[gem-pro|*ana|t=on]].^(EWA|3, 466) In this view the Old High German /o/ is a dulling of the unstressed /a/, so that no separate form with /u/ has to be assumed.^(EWA|3, 466) Wiktionary leaves both possibilities open: an original [[gem-pro|*funē]] comparable with [[sa|पुनर्|tr=púnar|t=back, again]], or an unstressed form of the West Germanic word.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The older dictionaries call its origin dark,^(DWB|26, 737)^(AWB|3, 1069) and Pfeifer and Duden still describe it as unexplained.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|912) Kroonen derives [[m|gem-pro|*fanē]] from [[ine-pro|*h₂po-neh₁]], an old directional case of the root of [[ab]] with the ablative suffix [[m|ine-pro|*-neh₁]], and compares [[lt|pa-]], [[cu|по|tr=po]], [[ru|по|tr=po|t=after, on, along]] and [[sq|pa|t=without]].^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993) Pfeifer and Duden likewise think of the zero grade of [[ine-pro|*apo|t=off, away]], also seen in the Latin prefix [[m|la|po-]] of [[m|la|positus|t=placed]],^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|912) and Pfeifer adds that an /o/ older than Germanic would point to a form [[m|ine-pro|*pu]], which could be compared with the Sanskrit adverb and with [[grc|πύματος|tr=púmatos|t=last, outermost]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''fona'' is recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses of about 765, and then in nearly every text: the Isidor translation, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)^(AWB|3, 1069) It already had a wide range of senses: “from, out of, away from, since”, but also “through, by, because of, about”.^(Schützeichel 2012|109)^(EWA|3, 466)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle High German, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch the preposition was often placed after its noun and came close to an adverb meaning “away”.^(Pfeifer 1993) Northern colloquial German keeps this use when it splits [[davon]] and [[wovon]], putting ''von'' at the end of the clause.^(Pfeifer 1993) The coarse northern colloquial language also uses it with the accusative, and Fontane wrote ''vons'' for ''von das''.^(DWB|26, 737) In the written language only the merger with the dative article became established, as [[vom]].^(DWB|26, 737)

+

+ Paul explains the use for a person's place of origin, ''er ist von Stuttgart'', which is now southern beside northern [[aus]].^(Paul 2002) It was once usual with the names of countries as well, hence titles such as ''König von Preußen''.^(Paul 2002) This is the source of ''von'' as the mark of nobility, which in the old nobility always names the family's place of origin.^(Paul 2002) The noble particle has been borrowed into English, in names such as Paul von Hindenburg, and into Modern Hebrew.^(LWP)

+

+ In modern German ''von'' also replaces the genitive and marks the agent of the passive.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Two adverbs grew out of fixed phrases with old dative plurals: [[vonnöten]], with ''Not'', from the 16th century, and [[vonstatten]], with ''Statt'', from the 18th century, earlier written ''von Statten''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''fona'' and the rarer ''fana'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''von'' appears in Williram's commentary on the Song of Songs.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 16th century – ''von nöten sein'' appears, later written [[vonnöten]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''von Statten gehen'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – The adverb is written together as [[vonstatten]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|from]]: marks the starting point in space: ''von links'', ''der Bus kommt von Bremen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Marks separation or removal: ''den Teller vom Tisch nehmen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Marks a starting point in time, often with ''an'' or ''ab'': ''von morgen an''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # [[m|en|of]]: names the whole from which a part is taken: ''zwei von uns''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Belonging to, of, often replacing the [[m|en|genitive]]: ''die Mutter von Paul''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|by]]: marks the [[m|en|agent]] in the passive voice.^(Wiktionary)

+ # About, of (a topic): ''von etwas erzählen''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # Placed before a family name as the mark of [[m|en|nobility]].^(Wiktionary DE)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vom]]

+ * [[davon]]

+ * [[wovon]]

+ * [[hiervon]]

+ * [[voneinander]]

+ * [[vonnöten]]

+ * [[vonstatten]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ab]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Von mir aus'' is colloquial for “as far as I'm concerned, I don't mind”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Wiktionary records the abbreviation ''v.'', used especially in noble names.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}