vëlla
Albanian
Etymology
Uncertain.
1) From Proto-Albanian *swe-laudā, *swe representing the reflexive *u (“self”), and *lauda, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“man, people”), thus meaning belonging to the same people.[1]
2) From *vëllaz (in plural (Gheg) vëllazën), from *waládža, from Proto-Albanian *(a)waládja, metathesis of *awádlja, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewh₂ó-dʰl̥yos (“mother's brother”). Same sense development as motër (“sister”), from *méh₂treh₂ (“mother's sister”).
3) From Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ-, possibly < *uai-láu(d) (< *suoi- h1loudhi-), an old compound with the reflexive pronoun ve(të) (“own, self”). The plural stem *vəɫaz- (> vëllezër / vëllazën) can be derived phonetically from *laudźi-.[2] Possibly related to Phrygian [script needed] (vela, “family, relatives”). A connection to Finnish veli, Estonian veli (“brother”) (see Proto-Finnic *velji) has been proposed, although this is improbable.
4) From Proto-Albanian *u̯əłáə, from *u̯əłáðə, from an earlier *u̯əłáðī. Ultimately from PIE *su̯e-(h₁)le/ou̯dʰii̯o-n-. The form of vëllezër (Tosk)/Vëllezën (Gheg) comes from Proto-Albanian *u̯ełédzenì, from Pre-Proto-Albanian *u̯eládi̯anì. Vëllezëri/Vllazni comes from Proto-Albanian *u̯eladi̯an-ía.[3]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [vəˈɫa]
Noun
vëllá m (plural vëllezër, definite vëllai, definite plural vëllezërit)
Declension
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | vëlla | vëllai | vëllezër | vëllezërit |
| accusative | vëllanë | |||
| dative | vëllai | vëllait | vëllezërve | vëllezërve |
| ablative | vëllezërish | |||
References
- ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “vëlla”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 503
- ^ Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997) Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: […]] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7)[1] (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi
- ^ Demiraj, Bardhyl et al. (2021) “vëlla”, in DPEWA. Digitales Philologisch-Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altalbanischen [DPEWA. Digital Philological-Etymological Dictionary of Old Albanian]