als Dutch · revision 37051

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=10th century, Wachtendonck Psalms|origins=gmw-pro *allswā}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɑ(l)s/, [ɑ(ɫ)s]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''als'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|alse]], a weakened form of [[m|dum|also]], [[inh|odt|alsō|t=as, just as]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*allswā|t=completely so]], an old compound of [[al]] and [[zo]] in which the first element only strengthened the second.^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(WNT) The same compound is [[osx|alsō]], [[goh|alsō]] (modern [[de|als]]), [[ofs|alsa]] (modern [[fy|as]]) and [[ang|ealswā]] (modern [[en|also]] and [[en|as]]).^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ When speakers stressed the first syllable for emphasis, the second syllable lost its stress and weakened to a schwa, which then fell away: the old form weakened to the Middle Dutch one and finally to the modern conjunction.^(WNT) The longer form was the usual one in Middle Dutch, and the short one is found from the 13th century.^(EWN)^(WNT) The conjunction and the adverb [[alzo]] were thus once one word, set apart by the place of the stress and by the influence of the simple adverb on that compound.^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''also'' “as, like” is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, for instance in ''also stuppe that foruuirpet uuint'' “like dust that the wind scatters”.^(EWN) Middle Dutch ''alse'' appears in the Limburg ''Servaas'' legend of about 1200, first as a conjunction of comparison, “as”.^(VMNW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ According to the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, the comparative use, “as, like”, developed first from the meaning of ''zo''.^(WNT) Thirteenth-century texts already show the whole range of later uses: “as if”, “when”, “at the time that”, “if” and even “although”.^(VMNW) In Middle Dutch ''als'' could still be an adverb, where modern Dutch uses ''zo'' or ''alzo'' again.^(WNT)

+

+ After a comparative the standard language wants ''dan'', but ''groter als'' is common in informal speech.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek) In Surinamese Dutch ''als'' also means “whether”, possibly a semantic loan from Sranan Tongo ''efu''.^(Wiktionary)

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+ The word passed into Afrikaans [[m|af|as]], Negerhollands ''a'', ''es'' and older ''as'', and Berbice Dutch ''asi''; in Petjoh ''als'' means “as for, concerning”.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 901–1000 – Old Dutch ''also'' “as” is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(EWN)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle Dutch ''alse'' appears in Limburg.^(Van der Sijs 2001)^(VMNW)

+ * 13th century – The short form ''als'' is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1657 – A comparison with ''als'' alone: ''Ick grouwel voor krackeelen, Als voor ontstelde veelen'' “I loathe quarrels as I do untuned fiddles”.^(WNT)

+ * 1884 – The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal records dialect ''als te'' “all too”.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # [[m|en|as]], [[m|en|like]]: introduces a comparison: ''Zij zingt als een merel.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(informal, proscribed)'' [[m|en|than]], after a comparative or ''anders'': ''Hij is ouder als ik.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # As, in the role of: ''Zij werkt als verpleegster.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # [[m|en|when]], whenever: ''Als het regent, blijven we binnen.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|if]], on condition that: ''Als je opschiet, haal je de bus nog.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Suriname)'' Whether.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[alstublieft]]

+ * [[alsook]]

+ * [[alsjeblieft]]

+ * [[alsmaar]]

+ * [[alsmede]]

+ * [[alsnog]]

+ * [[evenals]]

+ * [[zoals]]

+ * [[alsof]]

+ * [[alsnu]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[alzo]]

+ * [[en|as]]

+ * [[de|als]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Older Dutch had a second ''als'', the genitive of ''al'', meaning “entirely”; it survives only in dialect ''als te'' for ''al te'' “all too”.^(WNT)^(MNW) ''Als de hemel naar beneden valt, hebben we allemaal een blauwe hoed'' is a retort to someone who keeps saying “if”.^(Van Dale 2014) ''ALS'' is also the Dutch abbreviation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}