geen Dutch · revision 37085

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Old Dutch (Willeram)|origins=gem-pro *nehw, gem-pro *ainaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɣeːn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Northern: [ɣeɪ̯n], [xeɪ̯n], [χeɪ̯n]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Southern: [ʝeːn], [ɣeːn], [xeːn]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''geen'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|gheen]], [[inh|odt|gēn]], a shortening of Old Dutch [[m|odt|nehēn|t=not one]].^(EWN)^(ONW) That word was formed from the negative particle ⟨*ne-h⟩ “and not” and [[een|t=one]], going back to [[gem-pro|*nehw|t=nor, and not]] and [[gem-pro|*ainaz|t=one]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) By grammatical alternation the /h/ became /ɣ/ before the stressed syllable, giving Middle Dutch [[m|dum|negheen]]; this was then reanalysed as ⟨ne⟩ + ⟨geen⟩, and the form was sometimes written separately as ⟨ne gene⟩.^(EWN)^(ONW)^(WNT) Beside it arose ⟨engheen⟩, with the usual Middle Dutch negative [[m|dum|en]], and finally the first element was dropped as superfluous.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+

+ The same formation is [[osx|nigēn]] and [[goh|nihhein]], whose modern [[de|kein]] lost the negative in the same way.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Vercoullie 1925) Old Frisian [[m|ofs|nēn]], [[ang|nān]] (modern [[en|none]]) and [[non|neinn]] are built with the plain negative ⟨*ne⟩ instead of ⟨*nih⟩.^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) The particle ⟨*nih⟩ is the same as [[got|𐌽𐌹𐌷|tr=nih|t=and not]] and [[la|neque|t=and not, nor]], an extension of the negative [[ine-pro|*ne|t=not]], which also gave [[sga|ní]], [[cu|не|tr=ne]], [[lt|ne]] and [[sa|न|tr=na]].^(EWN) The word [[nee]] was formed in a similar way.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''nehēn'' and ''gēn'' are first recorded about 1100 in the Willeram, as in ''noh newilt neheine spem hauan'', “nor do you want to have any hope”.^(EWN)^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001) In Middle Dutch it appears in the Aiol (1220–1240): ''te geinen tiden'' “at no time, never”.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Dutch the word normally went with the negative particle ''ne''; a few sentences without it show it meaning “any”, perhaps because it so often stood beside other negative words.^(ONW) Middle Dutch used ''gheen'' with nouns for “no, not any”, ''gheen dinc'' for “nothing” and ''gheen man'' for “nobody”, and often doubled the negation with ''en'': ''sien verstont en geen latijn'', “she understood no Latin” (1276–1300).^(EWN)^(VMNW) The doubled negation lasted into the 17th century.^(WNT) A form ''egeen'', worn down from ''engeen'', is found in Middle Dutch and in some regions.^(WNT)

+

+ Besides negating a noun phrase, ''geen'' became a plain negation before a noun, and it can be used scornfully of something that does not deserve its name.^(Van Dale 2014) With ''nog'' it means “less than”.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ Afrikaans and Negerhollands have ''geen'', and the Dutch-based mixed language Javindo has ''heen''.^(Wiktionary)^(Van der Sijs 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – Old Dutch ''nehēn'' and ''gēn'' are recorded in the Willeram.^(EWN)^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch ''te geinen tiden'' “never” appears in the Aiol.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+ * 1237 – The full form ''negeen'' is recorded.^(EWN)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004)

+ * 1254 – ''Gheen'' is used in a Middelburg charter.^(VMNW)

+ * 1276 – The form ''engheene'' is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1640 – ''Geen mensch'' “nobody” is quoted.^(WNT)

+ * 1876 – The WNT records the colloquial ''geen sterveling'', “not a living soul”.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner===

+ # [[m|en|no]], not a, not any: ''Ik heb geen tijd.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(ANW)

+ # Used as a plain negation before a noun, “not”: ''Er kwam geen bus.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(pejorative)'' Used of something that does not deserve its name: ''Dat is geen soep, dat is water.''^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # With ''nog'': less than, not even: ''Het is nog geen acht uur.''^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ===Numeral===

+ # Not one, [[m|en|none]]: ''Van al die boeken heb ik er geen gelezen.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[geeneens]]

+ * [[geenszins]]

+ * [[generlei]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[een]]

+ * [[nee]]

+ * [[noch]]

+ * [[de|kein]]

+ * [[en|none]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Fixed phrases include ''voor geen goud'', “not for anything”, and ''als geen ander'', “better than anyone”.^(Van Dale 2014) An archaic ''geen'' “yonder, that”, a form of ''gene'', is a separate word, from Middle Dutch ''gene'' and Proto-Germanic ''*jainaz''; it survives only in set phrases.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}