мы

Forms

мы (my)^[1] The oblique cases are нас, нам, на́ми, о нас.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic мꙑ (my), from Proto-Slavic *my (“we”).^[1][4] The word is common Slavic: Old Church Slavonic мꙑ (my), Ukrainian ми (my), Belarusian мы (my), Serbo-Croatian ми (mi), Slovene mi, Czech my and Polish my;^[5][6] Bulgarian ми (mi) survives only in dialects, beside the standard ние (nie).^[5][6][7]

The initial /m/ is shared with Lithuanian mẽs, Latvian mēs, Old Prussian mes and Old Armenian մեք (mekʻ).^[5][6][1] ESRJa traces these to an Indo-European exclusive form Proto-Indo-European *mes (“we (without you)”), with a plural ⟨-s⟩, which stood beside the inclusive *wei-, *wes- of Hittite wēš and Tocharian B wes;^[7] Wiktionary accents it and thinks it probably shortened from *n̥smés.^[1] Vasmer instead reports Guyer's view that the ⟨w-⟩ form is the older one and that the /m/ of Slavic, Baltic and Armenian comes from the verbal ending of the first person plural, ⟨-mes⟩, ⟨-mos⟩;^[5] Derksen too thinks the /m/ probably comes from that ending.^[4]

The final ⟨-ы⟩ is unclear in detail.^[6] Most explain it by the influence of вы and of the accusative ны (ny, “us”),^[5][7][4] and perhaps of the plurals of feminine nouns such as *sestry (“sisters”);^[6][7] Shaposhnikov also mentions a protoform *mōn-, which could give the Slavic form as *ak'mōn gave *kamy (“stone”).^[8] Shansky sees in it an older ⟨ны⟩ changed under the verbal ending ⟨-м⟩ (несём).^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057 has „И отъ испълнения его мы вьси прияхомъ” “and of his fulness have all we received” (John 1:16).^[10] The Izbornik of 1076 has „а мы нѣсмь тьлѣньни” “but we are not perishable”, rendering Ancient Greek ἡμεῖς (hēmeîs).^[11] Chernykh dates the word from the 11th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

From the 14th century princes, and later tsars, used мы for “I” in their charters: „Мы Юрьи Святъславичь, князь великии Смоленьскии” in 1386, and the title of Tsar Michael in 1623.^[10][8] A 1669 deed has „мы, я Якимъ и я Василей” “we, I Yakim and I Vasily”.^[10] The 18th century used мы с ним for “he and I”.^[12]

Dialects use мы for “I”: in Nizhny Novgorod a single person answers мы to “who is there?”, and in Siberia a self-respecting man used to call himself мы on formal occasions.^[13] Modern Russian has the authorial мы and a sympathetic or ironic мы for “you”.^[2]

Timeline

• 1056–1057 – мы “we” in the Ostromir Gospel.^[10]
• 1076 – мы in the Izbornik of 1076.^[11]
• 1386 – мы for “I” in a charter of Grand Prince Yury Svyatoslavich of Smolensk.^[10]
• 1623 – мы in the title of Tsar Michael.^[10]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. we: the speaker together with one or more other people.^[2][14][1]
2. мы с + instrumental: I and someone else;^[1] мы с отцом is “my father and I”.^[2][14][1]
3. Used for “I”: the authorial мы, and (dated) the royal we of a monarch.^[2][3]
4. (colloquial) Used for “you” in sympathetic or ironic address, as a doctor speaks to a patient.^[2][15]

Related words

• наш
• вы
• Old East Slavic мꙑ (my)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. мы
3. ^ a b Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. мы
4. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 336
5. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 3, 23
6. ^ a b c d e f Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. мы
7. ^ a b c d Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 10, s.v. мы
8. ^ a b Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 546
9. ^ Shansky, N. M.; Bobrova, T. A. (2004), Škol'nyj ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Школьный этимологический словарь русского языка], 7th ed., Moskva: Drofa, p. s.v. мы
10. ^ a b c d e f Barkhudarov, S. G. et al. (eds.) (1975–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XI–XVII vv. [Словарь русского языка XI–XVII вв.], vols. 1–31, Moskva: Nauka / Azbukovnik / Lexrus, p. 9, 329
11. ^ a b Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. s.v. мы
12. ^ Sorokin, Yu. S. et al. (eds.) (1984–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XVIII veka [Словарь русского языка XVIII века], vols. 1–24, Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. s.v. мы
13. ^ Filin, F. P.; Sorokoletov, F. P.; Myznikov, S. A. (eds.) (1965–), Slovar' russkix narodnyx govorov [Словарь русских народных говоров], vols. 1–51, Moskva / Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 19, 49
14. ^ a b Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. мы
15. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. мы