tsiva

Forms

tsiva (indefinite pronoun; adverb)^[2][1]

• Wiktionary gives tseva as an alternative form.^[1]
• Other spellings: țivă in Dalametra's Romanian-based spelling;^[3] țiva in DIARO;^[4] τσιβά in Nikolaidis's Greek script, transcribed tsivá;^[5] tsiva in Weigand's glossary.^[6]

Etymology

It is formed from Aromanian tsi + -va, from the pronoun tsi (“what”) and an indefinite ending.^[7][1] Tsi is inherited from Latin quid (“what”).^[1]

Wiktionary compares Romanian ceva, Megleno-Romanian tsiva and Istro-Romanian tseva.^[1][8] Papahagi's Megleno-Romanian glossary has the word both as a pronoun, "something", and as an adverb, "nothing".^[9] Byhan traces the Romanian, Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian forms to Latin quid velit (“he may wish”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Weigand's glossary of 1894 glosses tsiva as "something, nothing".^[6]

Semantic evolution

The pronoun means "something", and with a negation "nothing": nu ți daă țiva "I give you nothing" in Dalametra.^[2][3][7] As an adverb it means "perhaps, by chance" in questions and warnings, as in s-nu vă chireț țiva! "don't get lost by any chance!",^[7][10] and "for a while": șidu țiva la noi "he stayed a while with us".^[4] Dalametra records it as a conjunction "if", țivă di vrei "if you want",^[3] and Nikolaidis as a hesitant "lest, perhaps" in questions.^[5] Dalametra also quotes om di țiva "a worthless man".^[3]

Timeline

• 1894 – tsiva “something, nothing” in Weigand's glossary.^[6]
• 1906 – țivă “something; nothing” and “if” in Dalametra's dictionary.^[3]
• 1909 – τσιβά “lest, perhaps” in Nikolaidis's dictionary.^[5]
• 1963 – Papahagi derives it from ți + -va.^[7]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. something.^[2][7][1]
2. (with a negation) nothing.^[2][7][3]

Adverb

1. perhaps, by chance (in questions and warnings).^[7][1][10]
2. For a while, somewhat.^[4]

Conjunction

1. # (dated) if; lest, whether perhaps.^[3][5]

Word family

• cantsiva

Related words

• Romanian ceva
• Megleno-Romanian tsiva

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Cunia, Tiberius (2008), Dictsiunar a limbãljei armãneascã, Editsii Timpurarã (after T. Papahagi, Ș. Mihăileanu and I. Dalametra; online at dixionline.net)
3. ^ a b c d e f g Dalametra, I. (1906), Dicționar macedo-român, București: Academia Română, p. 205
4. ^ a b c Caragiu Marioțeanu, Matilda et al. (1997), Dicționar aromân (macedo-vlah) DIARO, A–D, București, p. 232
5. ^ a b c d Νικολαΐδης, Κωνσταντίνος (1909), Ετυμολογικόν λεξικόν της κουτσοβλαχικής γλώσσης, Αθήνα, p. 550
6. ^ a b c Weigand, Gustav (1894), Die Aromunen: ethnographisch-philologisch-historische Untersuchungen, vol. II: Volksliteratur der Aromunen (with a glossary), Leipzig: J. A. Barth, p. 334
7. ^ a b c d e f g Papahagi, Tache (1963), Dicționarul dialectului aromân, general și etimologic, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1074
8. ^ a b Byhan, Arthur (1899), Istrorumänisches Glossar, Sechster Jahresbericht des Instituts für rumänische Sprache zu Leipzig: 174–366
9. ^ Papahagi, Pericle (1902), Megleno-românii: studiu etnografico-filologic I, București: Academia Română (with a glossary)
10. ^ a b Caragiu Marioțeanu, Matilda et al. (1997), Dicționar aromân (macedo-vlah) DIARO, A–D, București, p. 326