Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwaz

This Proto-Germanic 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-Germanic

Etymology

    From Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷís (“interrogative pronoun”).[1]

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /xʷɑz/
    • Rhymes: -ɑz

    Pronoun

    *hwaz

    1. (interrogative) who, what
    2. (interrogative, in genitive) whose
    3. (interrogative, in accusative and dative) whom
    4. (interrogative, in instrumental) with whom, with what, how, in what way

    Inflection

    The feminine forms were likely already rare: they do not survive anywhere outside Gothic, and are obsolescent even there. They were used only when the person being asked about was known to be female. For a person of unknown gender, the masculine forms were used.

    Declension of *hwaz (irregular)
    singular
    masculine feminine neuter
    nominative *hwaz *hwō *hwat
    accusative *hwanǭ *hwǭ *hwat
    genitive *hwes *hwezōz *hwes
    dative *hwammai *hwezōi *hwammai
    instrumental *hwē, *hwī, *hwō *hwezō *hwē, *hwī, *hwō

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    References

    1. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hwa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 261
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