Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-čь

This Proto-Slavic 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-Slavic

Alternative forms

*-ačь (when verb ending in -a-)
*-ičь (when verb ending in -i-)

Etymology

Underlyingly reflecting Proto-Balto-Slavic *-kias, *-kis, from Proto-Indo-European *-k-yos, formed by agglutination of *-yos (Proto Slavic *-jь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ias) onto the element *-kъ.

Cognate with Lithuanian -kis and Latvian -ķis.

Suffix

*-čь m

Deverbal, forming agent nouns.
Synonyms: *-teľь, *-ьcь, *-ьnikъ

*kopati (“to dig”) → *kopačь (“digger”)

*kovati (“to forge”) → *kovačь (“smith, blacksmith”)

*běgati (“to run”) → *běgačь (“runner”)

*jьgrati (“to play”) → *jьgračь (“player”)

*vьrati (“to lie”) → *vьračь (“sorcerer, soothsayer, charlatan”)

*pogoniti (“to pursue, observe”) → *pogoničь (“drover”)

*roditi (“to give birth”) → *rodičь (“father”)

*voditi (“to lead”) → *vodičь (“leader”)

*badati\*bodati or *bodti > *bosti (“to sting, stab, butt”) → *bodačь (“that which stings, stabs, butts”)
Deverbal, forming nomina instrumenti.
Synonym: *-dlo

*biti (“to beat”) → *bičь (“whip”)

*briti (“to shave, cut hair/beard”) → *bričь (“cutting tool, razor”)

Declension

Declension of *-čь (soft o-stem)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-čь	*-ča	*-či
genitive	*-ča	*-ču	*-čь
dative	*-ču	*-čema	*-čemъ
accusative	*-čь	*-ča	*-čę̇
instrumental	-čьmь, -čemь^*	*-čema	*-či
locative	*-či	*-ču	*-čixъ
vocative	*-ču	*-ča	*-či

^* -ьmь in North Slavic, -emь in South Slavic.

Derived terms

*-ačь
*-ičь

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-čь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bičь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bodačь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bričь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gъrčь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/jьgračь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kľučь

Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/vortičь

Usage notes

Used on verbs whose stem ends on vowels: -i-, -a- (-a- or -a/j- or -a/V-), (rarely) -ě-, (rarely) -V-

Descendants

After the loss of word-final jer, daughter languages have reinterpreted the thematic ending of the verb -i- and -a- as a part of the suffix itself.
In most of the daughters *-ačь merged with the reflex of *-čь which was preceded by the thematic vowel -a.

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -чь (-čĭ)
  - Belarusian: -іч (-ič), -ач (-ač)
  - Russian: -ич (-ič), -ач (-ač)
  - Ukrainian: -ич (-yč), -ач (-ač)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Church Slavonic: -чь (-čĭ), -ачь (-ačĭ)
  
  Old Church Slavonic: -ⱍⱐ (-čĭ), -ⰰⱍⱐ (-ačĭ)
- Bulgarian: -ач (-ač); -ич (-ič) (rare)
- Macedonian: -ич (-ič), -ач (-ač)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Serbo-Croatian: -ич, -ач
  
  Serbo-Croatian: -ič, -ač
- Slovene: -ič, -ȉč, -áč (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Czech: -č, -ač, -áč
- Kashubian: -ëcz, -ôcz
- Polish: -icz, -acz
- Slovak: -ič, -áč
- Slovincian: -icz, -acz, -ocz
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: -ič, -ač
  - Lower Sorbian: -ic, -ac

References

Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎^[1] (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-čь”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volume 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 102
Halla-aho, Jussi (2006) Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology: On the Basis of Old Church Slavic (Slavica Helsingiensia; 26), Helsinki: University of Helsinki, page 68