*-ulaz
Runic: ᚢᛚᚨᛉ Pronunciation: /ˈu.lɑz/suffix · forms adjectives · a-stem
Function
forms adjectives, chiefly from verbs and more rarely from nouns, meaning ‘given to X-ing, prone to X, inclined to X, characterized by X’; sometimes pejorative
Etymology
From pre-Germanic *-u-ló-s, a productive Germanic development of the inherited Proto-Indo-European *-ló-s adjective/noun suffix. Variants include *-ila-, *-ala-, and *-ula-. Krahe and Meid (1969: 84–85) explicitly treat these variants as “suffix ablaut”, while also warning that the intervening vowels are not of one single origin; in some *-ula- forms the *-u- may be connected with old u-stems, and in West Germanic some apparent linking vowels before *-l- may also arise through vowel development/ anaptyxis rather than direct inheritance.
In the adjectival class, *-alaz and *-ulaz became productive for “adjectives of inclination” (Adjektiva der Neigung), mostly deverbative and often pejorative. The oldest layer was formed to the zero-grade of the root, and cases with grammatical alternation point to earlier suffix accent, i.e. pre-Germanic *-aló-/ *-uló- (Kluge 1899: 91–92; Krahe & Meid 1969: 85–86). Compare Latin tremulus, Ancient Greek φειδωλός (pheidōlós), and Sanskrit ग्रहिल (grahilá), all showing comparable l-suffixal adjectives of disposition or characteristic tendency (Kluge 1899: 91; Krahe & Meid 1969: 86).
Paradigm
Strong declension
| Case | Sg. Masc. | Sg. Fem. | Sg. Neut. | Pl. Masc. | Pl. Fem. | Pl. Neut. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -ulaz | -ulō | -ulą, -atō | -ulai | -ulôz | -ulō |
| Acc. | -ulanǭ | -ulǭ | -ulą, -atō | -ulanz | -ulōz | -ulō |
| Gen. | -ulas, -ulis | -ulaizōz | -ulas, -ulis | -ulaizǫ̂ | -ulaizǫ̂ | -ulaizǫ̂ |
| Dat. | -ulammai | -ulaizōi | -ulammai | -ulaimaz | -ulaimaz | -ulaimaz |
| Inst. | -ulanō | -ulaizō | -ulanō | -ulaimiz | -ulaimiz | -ulaimiz |
Weak declension
| Case | Sg. Masc. | Sg. Fem. | Sg. Neut. | Pl. Masc. | Pl. Fem. | Pl. Neut. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -ulô | -ulǭ | -ulô | -ulaniz | -ulōniz | -ulōnō |
| Acc. | -ulanų | -ulōnų | -ulô | -ulanunz | -ulōnunz | -ulōnō |
| Gen. | -uliniz | -ulōniz | -uliniz | -ulanǫ̂ | -ulōnǫ̂ | -ulanǫ̂ |
| Dat. | -ulini | -ulōni | -ulini | -ulammaz | -ulōmaz | -ulammaz |
| Inst. | -ulinē | -ulōnē | -ulinē | -ulammiz | -ulōmiz | -ulammiz |
Descendants
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*-il, *-ul (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ali, -el, -le (Old Dutch)
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-el (Middle Dutch)
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-el (Dutch)
- -el (Afrikaans)
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-el (Dutch)
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-el (Middle Dutch)
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-ali, -el, -le (Old Dutch)
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*-il, *-ul (Proto-West Germanic)
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-el, -ol, -ul (Old English)
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-el, -le, -yl (Middle English)
- -le (English)
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-el, -le, -yl (Middle English)
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-el, -ol, -ul (Old English)
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*-il, *-ul (Proto-West Germanic)
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-el, -il (Old Frisian)
- -el (North Frisian)
- -el (Saterland Frisian)
- -el (West Frisian)
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-el, -il (Old Frisian)
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*-il, *-ul (Proto-West Germanic)
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-al, -ala, -il (Old High German)
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-el (Middle High German)
- -el (German)
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-el (Middle High German)
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-al, -ala, -il (Old High German)
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*-il, *-ul (Proto-West Germanic)
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-el (Old Saxon)
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-el (Middle Low German)
- -el (Low German)
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-el (Middle Low German)
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-el (Old Saxon)
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-all, -la, -li, -ull (Old Norse)
- -la, -li, -ull (Icelandic)
- -il, -ul (Faroese)
- -𐌿𐌻𐍃 (-uls) (Gothic)