ci Italian · revision 37487

+ {{infobox|confidence=disputed|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la hīc}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /t͡ʃi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ci''' (unstressed, ''ce'' before ''lo'', ''la'', ''li'', ''le'' and ''ne''; elided ''c’'' before ''e'' and ''i'')^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DiPI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Its origin is disputed.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary) According to DELI and Gabrielli it is [[inh|la-vul|*hīcce]], a spoken form of classical [[la|hīc|t=here]];^(DELI 1999)^(Gabrielli 2020) Devoto analyses it in the same way, as ⟨hic⟩ with the reinforcing suffix ⟨-ce⟩, which is found clearly only in the Italic languages.^(Devoto 1968|92) GRADIT, Sabatini and Nocentini start instead from the Vulgar Latin phrase [[m|la-vul|*ecce hīc|t=look here]],^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Nocentini 2010) the source Rohlfs and von Wartburg also preferred,^(Wiktionary) and Treccani from [[la-lat|hīce]].^(Treccani 2011) Martin Maiden doubts the phrase with [[m|la|ecce]], because the particle is unstressed, while Latin ⟨hic⟩ survives in Italian only in stressed forms such as [[ciò]], [[qua]] and [[qui]], which cause syntactic doubling of the next consonant where the particle does not; he proposes [[m|la|hince]], a variant of [[m|la|hinc|t=from here]], pointing to a southern first-person plural pronoun ⟨'nci⟩.^(Wiktionary) The word is related in any case to [[nap|ce]] and [[scn|cci]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The adverb of place “here” took on the value of the first person plural “us, to us”, and in some regional varieties also of the third person singular.^(Nocentini 2010) Körting compares the way [[vi]], from [[m|la|ibi|t=there]], took the place of Latin [[m|la|vōs]].^(Körting 1907) Latin [[m|la|hīc]] is a petrified locative of the demonstrative [[m|la|hic|t=this]], which de Vaan traces to the deictic stem [[ine-pro|*ǵʰe-|alt=*ǵʰe/o-]] and the particle [[m|ine-pro|*-ḱe|t=here]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The adverb “here, through this place” is first found in the ''Ritmo laurenziano'' at the end of the 12th century.^(DELI 1999) The pronoun “us” is recorded in 1211, in a Florentine account book.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ With ''essere'' the adverb forms ''esserci'' “to be there, exist”: ''c'è'', ''ci sono''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In older literary Italian it also went with impersonal ''avere'', as in Bembo's ''De' Ciciliani poco altro testimonio ci ha'' (“Of the Sicilians there is little other evidence”).^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In colloquial Italian it reinforces ''avere'' and verbs of perception (''non ci vedo'', “I can't see”), a use that has produced spellings such as ''c'ho'' beside the standard ''ci ho''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DiPI)

+

+ In the 17th century Sforza Pallavicino criticised writers, especially Lombards, who put ''si'' where ''ci'' “us” was meant.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861|1, 1410) In popular and dialect speech ''ci'' also stands for “to him, to her, to them”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The ''Ritmo laurenziano'' has the adverb “here”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1211 – The pronoun “us” appears in a Florentine account book.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1955 – ''Ci'' is recorded as the name of a group of African languages.^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|us]], as a direct object: ''Ci hanno invitati a cena.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # To us, as an indirect object: ''Ci mandi una cartolina?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # In [[m|en|reflexive]] and reciprocal verbs of the first person plural: ''ci alziamo presto'', ''ci scriviamo spesso''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Before impersonal ''si'', for “one”: ''qui ci si annoia''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # About it, on it, in it, referring to a thing or idea: ''Ci rifletto stanotte.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' With him, with her, with them: ''Ci esco da un mese.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(popular, regional)'' To him, to her, to them.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|here]], [[m|en|there]], in or to the place mentioned: ''Ci torno l'anno prossimo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # With ''essere'', “to be there, exist” (''[[esserci]]''): ''c'è ancora del pane''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Through here, through there: ''Di qui ci passa il tram.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Reinforcing ''avere'' and verbs of perception: ''ci ho sete'', ''non ci sento bene''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[esserci]]

+ * [[volerci]]

+ * [[eccoci]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[qui]]

+ * [[ciò]]

+ * [[vi]]

+ * [[ne]]

+ * [[la|hīc]]

+ * [[la|ecce]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Before ''lo'', ''la'', ''li'', ''le'' and ''ne'' it becomes ''ce'', by assimilation to their vowel: ''ce lo dici?'', ''ce ne andiamo''.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) It precedes ''si'' and ''se ne'' (''ci si sente domani'').^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ''Ci'' is also the name of the letter ⟨c⟩, from Latin ''cē'';^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) the Latin names of the stops were the consonant followed by a long ''e'', a pattern that came from Etruscan.^(Wiktionary) As an adjective and noun ''ci'' names a family of African languages spoken in Ghana (1955).^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}