*-(i)jǭ
Runic: (ᛁ)ᛃᛟ Pronunciation: /i.jɔ̃ː/noun · feminine · ōn-stem
Function
forms feminine agent nouns and female personal nouns corresponding to masculine *-(i)jô (forms masculine agent nouns)
Etymology
From Early Germanic *-(i)jōn-, the feminine weak n-stem counterpart of masculine *-(i)jô. Ultimately connected with the Proto-Indo-European individualizing n-stem suffix, which formed personal nouns and, from verbal roots, agent nouns meaning ‘the one who does X’ (Pronk 2015: 327–29). The feminine shape reflects the Proto-Germanic amalgamation of inherited feminine eh₂-stems with n-stem inflection: old h₂-stems were transferred to the feminine ōn-stems after their nominatives became formally indistinguishable, and a similar process produced the PGmc īn-stems from PIE ih₂-stems (Kroonen 2011a: 64–65; Lehmann 1986a: §4.2.2).
Desclension
The suffix varies as *-jǭ/*-ijǭ based on Siever’s Law: the basic *-jǭ form is used after a “light” syllable (a short vowel followed by a single consonant), and otherwise, the form becomes *-ijǭ.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -(i)jǭ | -(i)jōniz |
| Acc. | -(i)jōnų | -(i)jōnunz |
| Gen. | -(i)jōniz | -(i)jōnǫ̂ |
| Dat. | -(i)jōni | -(i)jōmaz |
| Inst. | -(i)jōnē | -(i)jōmiz |
| Voc. | -(i)jǭ | -(i)jōniz |
Descendants
- *-jā (Proto-West Germanic)
- -ja, -a (Old Norse)
- -𐌾𐍉 (-jō) (Gothic)