Wurdahuzdą: Proto-Germanic dictionary — *-ginScott K. ShayWardja Presshttps://protogermanic.org/pgmc_gin
Single-entry extract from the dictionary. Cross-references to other entries point to their identifiers in the full dictionary.
Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und PronominalstämmeGeorge E.DunkelUniversitätsverlag Winter22014A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic LanguagesRobert D.FulkJohn Benjamins Publishing Company2018From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English, 2nd edition)DonRingeOxfordOxford University Press2017𐬗𐬌𐬥𐬁even, at all-𐌷𐌿𐌽forms indefinite pronouns, with the suffixed word often being preceded by the particle 𐌽𐌹 (ni).*čanaused to broaden or minimize meaning*kʷe-nasomehow, in any way; any*kʷenaany, some, somehow*kúwhere?*kʷó-na‘how? in what way?’*kʷó-/*kʷí-who?, what?; someone, somethingचनeven, at all; especially in negative contexts
particleforms indefinite and negative-polarity adverbs and pronouns, with the sense ‘ever, at all, any, some-’Probably from a Proto-Northwest Germanic suffix, *-gin, from an earlier postposed clitic *-kʷena, from Proto-Indo-European*kʷe-na, the formally and semantically weakened clitic counterpart of *kʷó-na. The latter was a modal or instrumental adverbial derivative of the PIE interrogative-indefinite stem *kʷó-/*kʷí-, formed with the fossilized adverbial ending *-naDunkel 2014: 481–84. The voiced *g is from Verner’s Law due to early cliticization. The *i is from raising of *e before a tautosyllabic nasal after reduction of the clitic to a closed syllable, i.e. *-gʷen/*-gen > *-gin; unreduced *-gʷena would not itself have triggered this raising Fulk 2018: 57Ringe 2017: 173–74. Cognates include Vedic Sanskrit चन and Avestan 𐬗𐬌𐬥𐬁, continuing Indo-Iranian *čana < PIE *kʷena. Dunkel 2014: 482–84. The Gothic suffix -𐌷𐌿𐌽 is functionally parallel, especially in negative expressions, but formally distinct. It continues PIE *ku-na, from the local/interrogative particle *kú.
Usage Note
Used especially after interrogative or relative bases, as in formations meaning ‘anywhere, nowhere, ever, at all’.