uw Dutch · revision 37208

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=901–1000, Wachtendonck Psalms|origins=gem-pro *izweraz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /yu̯/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''uw''' (dependent possessive, independent possessive uwe)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|uwe]], [[inh|odt|iuwa|t=your (plural)]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*iuwar]], [[inh|gem-pro|*izweraz]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(ONW) It was the possessive that belonged to the Middle Dutch pronoun [[m|dum|ghi]], modern [[gij]], which originally meant “you (plural)”, so that ⟨uwe⟩ meant “of you (all)”.^(EWN) It grew out of the genitive of that pronoun, Middle Dutch [[m|dum|uwer]].^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)^(ONW)^(MNW)

+

+ The same word is [[osx|iuwa]] (also ⟨euwa⟩), [[goh|iuwēr]] (modern [[de|euer]]), [[ofs|iuwe]], [[ang|ēower]] (modern [[en|your]]), [[non|yðvarr]] and [[got|𐌹𐌶𐍅𐌰𐍂|tr=izwar]].^(De Vries 1971)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|396) The Gothic and Norse forms keep the oldest shape, with ⟨z⟩ (Norse ⟨ð⟩), and in West Germanic this consonant seems to have been lost, though how is hard to say.^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|396)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) Outside Germanic the word is compared with [[sga|sí|t=you (plural)]], from ⟨*eswe⟩.^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|396)

+

+ ⟨Uwe⟩ was the regular Middle Dutch form, and in the west it gave ⟨juwe⟩, the later [[jouw]].^(EWN) Where no ending followed, a short form ⟨u⟩ arose already in the 13th century and spread.^(EWN) As the case endings were lost, ⟨uwe⟩ and the inflected ⟨uwer, uwen, uwes⟩ gave way to ⟨uw⟩, which in writing also ousted ⟨u⟩, perhaps helped by the wish to keep the possessive apart from the subject pronoun [[u]] that arose in the 17th century.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''iuwa'' is found in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, always after its noun, as in ''sal sela iuuua'' “your soul shall (live)”, addressed to many.^(ONW)^(EWN) The first Middle Dutch records date from 1201–1225, as in ''vwe amíe blantsefluor'' “your (plural) friend Blanchefleur”.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning followed that of ''gij'': in the Middle Dutch period ''gij'' came to be used for one person as well as for several, and in the north it was later narrowed to a polite form, so ''uw'' too became the possessive for one or more people addressed politely.^(EWN) Plantijn's dictionary still gives ''uwe'' and ''iuwe'' side by side as translations of French ''vostre''.^(MNW) When the polite subject pronoun ''u'' arose in the 17th century, ''uw'' became its possessive; in Belgium it is also the possessive of ''gij''.^(EWN)^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

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+ Older titles keep it, such as ''Uwe Genade'' “Your Grace” for lesser princes, and a letter could end ''geheel de uwe'' “entirely yours”.^(Van Dale 2014) Chinese Malay borrowed it as ''u''.^(Van der Sijs 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 901–1000 – Old Dutch ''iuwa'' appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch ''uwe'' is first recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1220–1240 – ''úwen spere'' “your spears” appears in the romance of Floris.^(EWN)

+ * 1251–1275 – The short form ''u'' is recorded in ''al v recht'' “all your right”.^(EWN)

+ * 1573 – Plantijn's dictionary gives ''uwe'' beside ''iuwe''.^(MNW)

+ * 17th century – The subject pronoun ''u'' arises, and ''uw'' becomes its possessive.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner===

+ # [[m|en|your]]: the possessive of the polite ''u'', for one person or several: ''Mag ik uw paspoort zien?''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # ''(Belgium, formal)'' The possessive of ''gij''.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # ''de uwe'', ''het uwe'': [[m|en|yours]], used without a noun.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[jouw]]

+ * [[u]]

+ * [[gij]]

+ * [[en|your]]

+ * [[de|euer]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In older writing the polite possessive was often spelled with a capital, ''Uw''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}