Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/selbaz

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 *selbʰ- (“one's own”), probably from the reflexive pronoun *swé (“self”). Compared with Venetic sselb-.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsel.βɑz/

Pronoun

*selbaz

self

Inflection

Although the word was clearly an a-stem, in Gothic only the weak inflection was used, and West Germanic the weak inflection was mostly used as well. Old Norse uses only the strong inflection. It's unknown what the Proto-Germanic usage was, and what the difference in meaning was, if any.

Declension of *selbaz (a-stem)
Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*selbaz	*selbō	*selbą, -atō	*selbai	*selbôz	*selbō
accusative	*selbanǭ	*selbǭ	*selbą, -atō	*selbanz	*selbōz	*selbō
genitive	*selbas, -is	*selbaizōz	*selbas, -is	*selbaizǫ̂	*selbaizǫ̂	*selbaizǫ̂
dative	*selbammai	*selbaizōi	*selbammai	*selbaimaz	*selbaimaz	*selbaimaz
instrumental	*selbanō	*selbaizō	*selbanō	*selbaimiz	*selbaimiz	*selbaimiz

Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*selbô	*selbǭ	*selbô	*selbaniz	*selbōniz	*selbōnō
accusative	*selbanų	*selbōnų	*selbô	*selbanunz	*selbōnunz	*selbōnō
genitive	*selbiniz	*selbōniz	*selbiniz	*selbanǫ̂	*selbōnǫ̂	*selbanǫ̂
dative	*selbini	*selbōni	*selbini	*selbammaz	*selbōmaz	*selbammaz
instrumental	*selbinē	*selbōnē	*selbinē	*selbammiz	*selbōmiz	*selbammiz

Descendants

Old English: self, seolf, sylf, selfa
- Middle English: self, silf, sulf
  - Scots: sel
  - English: self
Old Frisian: self, selva
- North Frisian: selv, siälv
- Saterland Frisian: säärm, sälven, sääuwen
- West Frisian: sels
Old Saxon: self, selvo
- Middle Low German: self, sulf
  - German Low German: sülvst
  - Low German: sulv
Old Dutch: selvo
- Middle Dutch: selve
  - Dutch: zelf
    - Afrikaans: self
  - Limburgish: zèlf
Old High German: selb, selbo
- Middle High German: sëlb, sëlp
  - Bavarian: söbe, söber
  - German: selbst, selb, selbe, selber
  - Luxembourgish: selwer
  - Yiddish: זעלב (zelb)
Old Norse: sjalfr, *sealfʀ — Old East Norse, sjálfr — younger western form
- Icelandic: sjálfur
- Faroese: sjálvur
- Norwegian Nynorsk: sjølv; (dialectal) sjølv'u, sjålv, sjav'e, sjåv, sjelv
- Norwegian Bokmål: sjøl
- Elfdalian: siuov
- Old Swedish: sialver, siælver, sialfr, siælfr
  - Swedish: själv, (dialectal, Finland) sjölv
- Old Danish: sialfær, sialf, siælf, sælf
  - Scanian: sælver
  - Danish: selv
    - Norwegian Bokmål: selv
  - Jutish: sjæl
Gutnish: självar
Gothic: 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba)

References

^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*selba(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 432

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*selba(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 432

[1]