wat Dutch · revision 37066

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=891–900, Old Dutch (gloss)|origins=ine-pro *kʷos}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʋɑt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''wat'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Regional forms include Flemish ''wa'', eastern ''wet'' and the emphatic ''watte''.^(WNT)^(Van Haeringen 1936)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|wat]], [[inh|odt|wat]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*hwat]], [[inh|gem-pro|*hwat]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[osx|hwat]], [[goh|hwaz]] (modern [[de|was]]), [[ofs|hwet]], [[ang|hwæt]] (modern [[en|what]]), [[non|hvat]] and [[got|𐍈𐌰|tr=ƕa]], which lost its final ⟨-t⟩.^(EWN)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ It is inherited from [[ine-pro|*kʷód]], the neuter of the interrogative stem [[ine-pro|*kʷos|alt=*kʷo-]] that also gave [[wie]] and [[hoe]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(WNT) Outside Germanic it matches [[la|quod]], [[sa|कद्|tr=kád|t=what?]] and [[prg|ka|t=what, which]].^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997) Old Low Franconian sometimes wrote it [[m|odt|wad]], with ⟨d⟩ from the sound that followed.^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The oldest record is a gloss of 891–900, ''uuatte ine'' (that is ''uuat thanne'') “what then?”, rendering Latin ''quid tunc''.^(EWN)^(ONW) The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century ask ''uuad duo mi man'', what can a man do to me?^(EWN)^(ONW)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle Dutch also used ''wat'' to mean “which, what kind of” (1200), as a relative pronoun (1236), and with ''so'' for “whatever” (1237).^(EWN)^(VMNW) It could mean “why” and “how” as well.^(VMNW)

+

+ In the modern language ''wat'' is also an indefinite pronoun, “something, a little”, and an adverb, “somewhat”.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek) Phrases built on it include ''voor wat hoort wat'', one good turn deserves another, and ''heel wat'', a good deal.^(Van Dale 2014) The exclamation ''wat heet!'', “and how!”, was noted as a new idiom in 1977, and ''en wat!'' in the same sense is recorded in Jewish Amsterdam speech in 1905.^(Reinsma 1984)^(Van de Kamp 2006) The curse ''krijg nou wat!'' expresses anger or surprise.^(Van Sterkenburg 2001)

+

+ Dutch ''wat'' passed into Negerhollands, Berbice Dutch (''wa'', ''wati''), Javindo and Petjo.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 891–900 – ''Uuat'' “what” is recorded in an Old Dutch gloss.^(EWN)^(ONW)

+ * 10th century – ''Uuad'' appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1200 – Middle Dutch ''wat'' in the sense “which” is recorded.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+ * 1236 – ''Wat'' is used as a relative pronoun.^(EWN)

+ * 1237 – ''Wat so'' “whatever” appears.^(EWN)

+ * 1977 – The exclamation ''wat heet!'' is noted as a new idiom.^(Reinsma 1984)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(interrogative)'' [[m|en|what]]: ''Wat ga je morgen doen?''^(Wiktionary)^(WNT)

+ # ''(relative)'' What, that, which, after ''alles'', ''iets'', a superlative or a whole clause: ''Dat is het beste wat ik kon vinden.''^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(indefinite)'' Something: ''Ik wil je wat laten zien.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A small amount: ''Doe er nog wat zout bij.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A small number, in phrases like ''een dag of wat'', a few days.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ===Determiner===

+ # Some: ''Ze kocht wat appels.''^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(exclamative)'' What, such: ''Wat een herrie!''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Somewhat, rather: ''Het is wat laat geworden.''^(WikiWoordenboek)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wie]]

+ * [[hoe]]

+ * [[waar]]

+ * [[de|was]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Je kunt me wat!'' means “get lost”, expressing contempt or indifference.^(Van Sterkenburg 2001) In parts of Belgian Brabant, especially Antwerp, ''wat'' has also been used as a conjunction meaning “because” or “if”, perhaps a form of ''want''.^(WNT)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}