Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/a

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. According to the usual doctrine,^[1] the initial form was *h₁ōd, ablative singular of the PIE demonstrative pronoun *éy, h₁e. However, that demonstrative has no such ablative singular attested in any of the daughter languages, so that hypothesis remains unprovable.

The same PIE proto-form could have also yielded Sanskrit आत् (ā́t, “so, then, afterwards”) and Avestan 𐬁𐬀𐬝 (āat̰, “afterwards, then”).

Conjunction

*a^[1]^[2]^[3]

but
and

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: а (a)
  - Old Ruthenian: а (a)
    - Belarusian: а (a)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: а (a)
    - Ukrainian: а (a)
  - Russian: а (a) (see there for further descendants)
- Old Novgorodian: а (a)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: а (a)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰰ (a)
  - Bulgarian: а (a)
- Macedonian: а (a)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: а
  
  Latin script: a
- Slovene: a
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: a
  - Czech: a
- Old Polish: a
  - Polish: a
  - Silesian: a
- Polabian: ă
- Slovak: a
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: a
  - Slovincian: a
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: a
  - Lower Sorbian: a

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008) “*a”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 25: “conj. ‘and, but’”
^ Olander, Thomas (2001) “a”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “but, and (PR 146)”
^ Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*a”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 33

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ā, from Proto-Indo-European *ā, ultimately a natural expression. Compare Lithuanian à, Latin ā, Ancient Greek ἆ (â), Sanskrit अ (a). Although the Proto-Indo-European form is reconstructed, this interjection could arise at any stage.

Interjection

*a^[1]^[2]

Used to express emotions like surprise, pain, displeasure, disapproval; ah!

Derived terms

>? Proto-Slavic: *axъ (inherited)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: а (a)
  - Old Ruthenian: а (a)
    - Belarusian: а (a)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: а (a)
    - Ukrainian: а (a)
  - Russian: а (a) (see there for further descendants)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: а (a)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰰ (a)
- Bulgarian: а (a)
- Macedonian: а (a)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: а
  
  Latin script: a
- Slovene: a
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: a
  - Czech: a
- Old Polish: a
  - Polish: a
  - Silesian: a
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: a
  - Slovincian: a
- Slovak: a
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: a
  - Lower Sorbian: a

References

^ Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “a!”, in Słownik prasłowiański (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 145
^ Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “a!”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 17

[EDSIL-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008) “*a”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 25: “conj. ‘and, but’”

[2] Olander, Thomas (2001) “a”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “but, and (PR 146)”

[3] Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*a”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 33

[4] Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “a!”, in Słownik prasłowiański (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 145

[5] Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “a!”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 17

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