Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/gъrtanь

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 reconstructions

• *grъtanь

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“to devour”) + *-anь (with hard vocalism *gъr- as in *gъrdlo). Cognate with Lithuanian gerklė̃ (“larynx”), gurklỹs (“crop, neck”), Old Prussian gurcle (“throat”).

Doublet forms such as Middle Russian грыта́нь (grytánʹ), which reflect alternative *grъtanь, probably originate under the influence of Proto-Slavic *glъtati (“to swallow”).

Noun

*gъrtànь f

1. larynx

Alternative forms

• *gъrtanъ m
• *gъrtľanъ, *gъrkľanъ m (South Slavic, explained as a fusion between *gъrtanь +‎ *gъrdlo via *-tl- > *-kl-)

Declension

Declension of *gъrtànь (i-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*gъrtànь	*gъrtàni	*gъrtàni
genitive	*gъrtànī	*gъrtànьju, *gъrtàňu*	*gъrtànьjь, *gъrtànī*
dative	*gъrtàni	*gъrtànьma	*gъrtànьmъ
accusative	*gъrtànь	*gъrtàni	*gъrtàni
instrumental	*gъrtànьjǫ, *gъrtàňǭ*	*gъrtànьma	*gъrtànьmī
locative	*gъrtànī	*gъrtànьju, *gъrtàňu*	*gъrtànьxъ
vocative	*gъrtani	*gъrtàni	*gъrtàni

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Related terms

• *žerti (“to devour”)
• *gъrdlo (“throat”)
• *žerdlo (“gorge”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: гъртань (gŭrtanĭ)
    • Old Belarusian: горта́нь (hortánʹ)
      • Belarusian: гарта́нь (hartánʹ)
      • Ukrainian: горта́нь (hortánʹ)
    • Russian: горта́нь (gortánʹ), грыта́нь (grytánʹ)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: грътань (grŭtanĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⰳⱃⱏⱅⰰⱀⱐ (grŭtanĭ)

  • Bulgarian: гръкля́н (grǎklján)
  • Macedonian: грклан (grklan)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: гр̀кљан, гр̀тљан

    Latin script: gr̀kljan, gr̀tljan

  • Slovene: grtàn, grlján (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: hrtan
    • Czech: hrtan
  • Kashubian: grtań (dialectal)
  • Polish: krtań
  • Silesian: chyrtōń
  • Old Slovak: hrtan, chrtan
    • Slovak: hrtan

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Romanian: gîrtlan, gârclan (dialectal)

References

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1980), “*gъrtanъ/*gъrtanь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 7 (*golvačь – *gyžati), Moscow: Nauka, page 213
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “гортань”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “гортань”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “гръклан, гръклян”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 288