Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/slověninъ

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

Etymology

From *Slovǫta (“Dnieper”) +‎ *-ěninъ or other, similar river name, compare Russian Слуя (Sluja), Polish Sława, Sławica, Serbo-Croatian Славница／Slavnica. The suffix *-ěninъ/*-janinъ is added only to geographical/territorial terms and place names, making it hard to assume other etymologies. Further etymology unclear.

It could also derive from some place name, but such name is not attested (sometimes the hypothetical name *Slovy is mentioned), but compare Lithuanian village Šlavė́nai (phonetically identical to *slověne pl) on the river Šlavė̃.

Obsolete and other etymologies

• From *slovo (“word; speech”), literally, “man of own speech, man who speak the same language”;
• From *sluti, *slovǫ (“to express in words, to utter”), literally, “man whose language is understandable”;
• From *slava (“glory, fame”), literally, “man of a famous tribe”;
• L. Masing, A. Stender-Petersen: borrowed from unattested Germanic word for Slavic peoples, meaning “people whose language is not understandable”, from Proto-Germanic [Term?] (“to be quiet”) (compare Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌽 (slawan)), similar to Proto-Slavic *němьcь (“Teuton, German”), from *němъ (“mute”);
• Z. Gołąb: from Proto-Indo-European *swebʰen (from *swé (“self”)), with a dissimilation of w - bʰ to l - bʰ (compare *svoboda : *sloboda) and influenced by *slovo (“word; speech”) by folk etymology;
• J. J. Mikkola: from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂wos (“people”), cognate with Ancient Greek λᾱός (lāós, “people; soldier”)

Noun

*slověninъ m (feminine *slověnъka, related adjective *slověnьskъ) needs accents

1. Slav

Declension

Declension of *slověninъ

Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*slověninъ	*slověnina	*slověne
Accusative	*slověninъ	*slověnina	*slověni
Genitive	*slověninа	*slověninu	*slověnъ
Locative	*slověnině	*slověninu	*slověnьxъ
Dative	*slověninu	*slověninoma	*slověnьmъ
Instrumental	*slověninomь	*slověninoma	*slověnьmi
Vocative	*slověnine	*slověnina	*slověne

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: словѣни́нъ (slověnínŭ)
    • Old Ruthenian: словꙗни́нъ (slovjanín), славꙗни́нъ (slavjanín), словѣни́нъ (slověnín)
      • Belarusian: славяні́н (slavjanín)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: Славяни́н (Slavjanýn)
      • Ukrainian: слов'яни́н (slovʺjanýn)
    • Russian: славяни́н (slavjanín), слове́н (slovén, “Ilmen Slav”), (obsolete) словяни́н (slovjanín)
      • → Serbo-Croatian:

        Cyrillic script: Сла̀ве̄н

        Latin script: Slàvēn

• South Slavic:
  • Church Slavonic: (Russian recension) славѧни́нъ (slavęnínŭ), словени́нъ (slovenínŭ)
  • Bulgarian: славя́нин (slavjánin)
  • Macedonian: Словен (Sloven)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: Сло̀вје̄н, Сло̀ве̄н

    Latin script: Slòvjēn, Slòvēn

  • Slovene: Slován
    • ⇒ Slovene: Slovẹ́nec (“Slovene”) (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: Slověnín, Slovan
    • Czech: Slovan
  • Old Polish: Słowianin
    • Polish: Słowianin
    • Silesian: Słowianin
  • Old Slovak: *Slovan
    • Slovak: Slovan
      • ⇒ Slovak: Slovák (“Slovak”)
    • Pannonian Rusyn: Славян (Slavjan)
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: Słowión
    • ⇒ Slovincian: Slôwjinc (“Slovincian”)
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: Słowjan
    • Upper Sorbian: Słowjan

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Byzantine Greek: Σθλαβηνός (Sthlabēnós), Σκλαβηνός (Sklabēnós), Σκλᾰ́βος (Sklábos) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• Rejzek, Jiří (2001) “Slovan”, in Český etymologický slovník [Czech Etymological Dictionary] (in Czech), 1st edition, Voznice: LEDA, →ISBN, page 613
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “slovẹ́nski”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si
• Vasmer, Max (1972) “славянин”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), volumes 3 (Муза – Сят), Moscow: Progress, page 664
• Janyšková, Ilona, editor (2008), “Slověninъ”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského [Etymological Dictionary of the Old Church Slavonic Language] (in Czech), numbers 14 (sice – sгъdobolja), Prague: Academia, →ISBN, page 838
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “слов'янин”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Racheva, M., Todorov, T. A., editors (2002), “славянин”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 6 (пỳскам – словàр²), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 834
• Ballester, Xaverio (2019) “Slověninъ, o del etnónimo de los eslavos”, in Francesco Benozzo, editor, Quaderni di Semantica (in Spanish), volume 5
• Mesiarkin, Adam (2017) “The name of the slavs: etymology and meaning”, in Studia Slavic et Balcania Petropolitana, number 1, →DOI, page 3
• Curta, Florin (2011) “Sklaviniai and ethnic adjectives: a clarification”, in Byzantion Nea Hellás, volume 30, page 85
• Trubachyov, Oleg (1982) “Из исследований по праславянскому словообразованию: генезис модели на -ěninъ, -*janinъ”, in Этимология 1980, Moscow, page 3
• Masing, Leonhard (1921) “2. Slověne”, in Prace lingwistyczne ofiarowane Janowi Baudouinowi de Courtenay dla uczczenia jego działalności naukowe‎^[1], Kraków: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego pod zarządem J. Filipowskiego, pages 87-89
• Stender-Petersen, Adolf (1927) Slavisch-germanische Lehnwortkunde, Göteborg, page 181
• Gołąb, Zbigniew (1992) The origins of the Slavs: a linguist's view, Slavica Publishers, →ISBN, page 181
• Mikkola, J. J. (1902) “Объ имени славянъ”, in Русский филологический вестник, volume 48, numbers 3-4, page 273
• Sławski, Franciszek (1988) Leszek Bednarczuk, editor, Języki indoeuropejskie, volume 2, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, →ISBN, page 909
• Rozwadowski, Jan Michał (1961) Wybór pism, volume 2, Warszawa, page 327