er Dutch · revision 37045

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=1237, Middle Dutch (Ghent)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɛr/, /ər/, /dər/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''er'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ In ⟨er⟩ probably two older forms have fallen together.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) One is the genitive plural of the personal pronoun, “of them”, [[inh|odt|iro]], which in Middle Dutch was often attached to the preceding word as ⟨-re⟩ or ⟨-er⟩.^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997) It corresponds to [[osx|iro]], [[goh|iro]], [[ofs|hira]] and [[ang|hiera]] (both with a later ⟨h-⟩) and [[got|𐌹𐌶𐌴|tr=izē|t=of them]].^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)^(De Vries 1971) The other is ⟨der⟩, the unstressed form of [[daar]], which had already lost its stress in Middle Dutch, as in [[m|dum|dermede|t=with it]] (1237).^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The ⟨d-⟩ was lost where the preceding word ended in ⟨-d⟩ or ⟨-t⟩ and ⟨der⟩ was attached to it, as in ⟨gaat der⟩, heard as ⟨gaat-er⟩.^(EWN)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997) The spoken form ⟨d’r⟩ is still common.^(EWN) The two sources may have influenced each other; the WNT treats the place adverb as ⟨der⟩ changed under the influence of the partitive ⟨er⟩.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The adverb is first recorded in a Ghent text of 1237, ''wert hire binnen gesien'' “is seen in there”.^(EWN)^(VMNW)^(Van der Sijs 2001) The pronoun it partly continues appears in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms as ''iro'' “of them”.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle Dutch ''er'' referred to a place already named, also with verbs of motion (“thither”), and could stand without any real place as a grammatical subject.^(VMNW) The partitive use, “of them”, is well recorded from the early 17th century: ''Voor wat prijs men der zoo eenen hebben kan'' “for what price one can get one of them”.^(EWN)^(WNT) The existential ''er'' appears in ''Indiender dan eenige vertroostinge is'' (1688), and in 1784–85 both uses stand together: ''Er staan er al een stuk drie vier''.^(EWN)

+

+ Today the word has several functions: a weak “there”, an empty subject in existential and impersonal passive sentences, a pronominal stand-in for ''het'' or ''ze'' after prepositions (''erop'', ''ervan''), and a partitive pronoun with numerals.^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)^(WNT)

+

+ Petjo has ''d’r'', and West Frisian took ''er'' in the sense “of it, of them”.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 10th century – Old Dutch ''iro'' “of them” appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(EWN)

+ * 1237 – Middle Dutch ''er'' “there” and ''dermede'' “with it” are recorded in Ghent.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1630 – The partitive ''der'' “of them” is quoted.^(WNT)

+ * 1688 – Existential ''er'' appears in ''Indiender dan eenige vertroostinge is''.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+ * 1784–85 – ''Er staan er al een stuk drie vier'' uses both kinds of ''er''.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # There, in or to a place already mentioned, without emphasis: ''Ben je er al eens geweest?''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # As an empty subject, without reference to a place: ''Er ligt een brief op tafel'';^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WNT) ''Er werd hard gelachen.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WNT)

+ # With a preposition, standing for ''het'' or ''ze'': ''Ik denk er vaak aan.''^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # Of them, of it, with a [[m|en|numeral]] or a word of quantity: ''Ik heb er drie gekocht.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[erachter]]

+ * [[erbij]]

+ * [[erdoor]]

+ * [[erin]]

+ * [[erom]]

+ * [[erover]]

+ * [[ervan]]

+ * [[ervandoor]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[daar]]

+ * [[haar]]

+ * [[hun]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Er zijn'' means to have arrived, and figuratively to have succeeded;^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT) ''er geweest zijn'' is to be dead or finished.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT) ''Er was eens'', “once upon a time”, is the usual opening of a fairy tale.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}