em

Forms

em (conjunction, invariable)^[1]

• Other spellings: EM in Papahagi's dictionary;^[2] Em in Pericle Papahagi's glossary of folk tales;^[3] emŭ in Bara's dictionary.^[4]
• Doubled, as em ... em, it means "both ... and".^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Turkish hem (“and, also; and then”),^[2][5] from Persian هم (ham, “also, too”).^[6] The Turkish word, too, is used doubled, as Aromanian uses it.^[6] Megleno-Romanian em has the same source.^[5][7]

Pericle Papahagi had explained it as a compound of e and ami (“but, then”);^[3] Tache Papahagi quotes that view but gives the Turkish etymology.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

With no older dated record, the first is Pericle Papahagi's glossary of 1905, which gives it as "and", with em io, em tine "both I and you", and also as "but, well then".^[3]

Semantic evolution

From the Turkish "and, also" Aromanian took both the simple and the doubled use: em s' coc tr' oáră..., em si'ntu nóstime ("they cook at once and they are tasty too"), as Papahagi quotes it.^[2] It also introduces an urging or a concession, as in em de! "well, what can one do!".^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1905 – Em “and; but” in Pericle Papahagi's glossary.^[3]
• 1963 – Papahagi derives it from Turkish hem.^[2]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. and; also, too.^[1][2]
2. (repeated) em ... em: both ... and.^[2][3][4]
3. (urging) But, well then.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ a b Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net), p. 434
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Papahagi, Tache (1974), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, 2nd augmented ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. 531
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Papahagi, Pericle (1905), Basme aromâne și glosar, București: Academia Română, p. 591
4. ^ a b c d Bara, Mariana (2024), Dictsiunarlu ti cathi dzuuã, online at dixionline.net
5. ^ a b Capidan, Theodor (1935), Meglenoromânii III: Dicționar meglenoromân, București: Academia Română, p. 123
6. ^ a b Tietze, Andreas (2002–2018), Tarihi ve Etimolojik Türkiye Türkçesi Lugatı, Istanbul: Simurg; Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences, p. 448
7. ^ Saramandu, Nicolae (coord.) et al. (2010–), Dicționarul dialectului meglenoromân, general și etimologic, fascicles in Fonetică și dialectologie XXIX–, p. 147