User:Helrasincke/Morphology/Yiddish

Notes: Litvish only has two genders, with inanimate objects being mostly assigned a feminine gender. Diminutives retain their base noun gender.

Inflectional edit

Verbal edit

Verbal
Affix Function Examples Notes
Verbal
Affix Function Examples Notes
-∅ First person singular

Imperative singular

־סט (-st) Second person singular
־ט (-t) Third person singular

Second person plural Imperative plural

-ṇ ־ן (-n) Infinitive (regular verbs)

First person plural Third person plural

-ṇdik ־נדיק (-ndik)
ge- + umlaut + -ən ־ן (-n) + גע־ (ge-) Past participle (strong verbs) רײַסן (raysn)געריסן (gerisn)
ge- + umlaut + -t ־ט (-t) + גע־ (ge-) Past participle (weak verbs) מאַכן (makhn)געמאַכט (gemakht)
ge- גע־ (ge-) Derivational/fossilised historic prefixations (greykhṇ) greykhṇ גרייכן (greykhn)

nominal edit

Nominal
Affix Function Examples Notes
~-s[1] ־ס (-s) Plural formation of nouns Most nouns with unstressed final -ə ־ע (-e), -m ־ם (-m), -əm ־עם (-em), -ṇ ־ן (-n), -en ־ען (-en). Words of foreign origin with unstressed, non-reduced final vowel (auto, radio, etc.) Nouns in -er ־ער (-er) not referring to humans[2]; in some contexts, also human agentives in -er ־ער (-er) Sometimes alternates with ־ן (-n), ־ען (-en), especially in journalistic and some formal usage; where both exist, the latter usually engenders a more abstract meaning.[3]
-ṇ ־ן (-n), ־ען (-en) Plural formation Some inherited Germanic vocabulary; Daytshmerisms; some non-diminutives in syllabic -ḷ ־ל (-l) Common in political terminology borrowed from German in the 19th century.[3]
-er ־ער (-er) Plural formation Many inherited Germanic words; a very small number of words of Semitic origin, e.g. pónəm פּנים (pnim)pénəmər פּנימער (pnimer). May or may not also involve vowel shift (umlaut)
∅ + umlaut Plural formation Many inherited Germanic words
Plural formation Nouns referring to humans in -er ־ער (-er) (with some exceptions); handful of nouns with various endings In some contexts, human agentives in -er ־ער (-er) pluralise instead with ־ס (-s)[4]
~-s[1] ־ס (-s),

~-əs[1] ־עס (-es)

Plural formation Family names ־עס (-es) after names ending in sibilants: ־ז, ־זש, ־סש, ־ס, ־צ, ־ש
~-əs[1] ־עס (-es) Plural formation Some nouns, mostly those of Slavic origin. Sometimes stem undergoes vowel changes
-im, -əm ־ים (-im) Plural formation 1) Some nouns of Semitic origin in unstressed ־א (-a), ־ה (-h), e.g. יום־טובֿ (yontev)יום־טובֿים (yontoyvem);

2) Small number of nouns of non-Semitic origin, e.g. דאָקטער (dokter)דאָקטוירים (doktoyrim); נאַר (nar)נאַראָנים (naronim); פּויער (poyer)פּויערים (poyerim);

Stress shifts to penultimate syllable; many stems undergo vowel changes[5]; Sometimes a syllable is added or changed between stem and suffix

Most nouns in -er ־ער (-er), -or ־אָר (-or) acquire a pejorative or sarcastic sense when pluralised this way

-əs ־ותֿ (-us) Plural formation Mostly nouns of Semitic origin (most in unstressed ־א (-a), ־ה (-h); some ending in a consonant); מעשׂה (mayse/manse)מעשׂיות (mayses/manses); אות (os)אותיות (oysyes); Stress shifts to penultimate syllable; many stems undergo vowel changes;[5] final ־ה (-h) is dropped; phonetically identical with ~-əs ־עס (-es)
-əkh, -akh ־עך (-ekh) Plural formation Nouns ending in syllabic -ḷ ־ל (-l) Mandatory for diminutives; some non-diminutives alternate with ־ען (-en)

adjectival edit

Affix Function Examples Notes
er (-ṇ)? [Term?]
e [Term?]
en [Term?]
em [Term?]
s [Term?]
er [Term?]
et [Term?]
Affix Function Examples Notes
prefixes:
ge- גע־ (ge-) verbal (past tense & derivational/historic) & nominal? (collective)
גע־ (ge-)

Derivational: edit

verbal edit

Affix Function Examples Notes
-ke- [Term?]
-eve- [Term?]

nominal edit

Affix Function Examples Notes
-∅ Nominalisations from verbal stems Masculine; vowel often follows past participle[6]
-or ־אָר (-or) Forms masculine agentives
-íst ־יסט (-ist) Forms masculine agentives Stressed
-nik ־ניק (-nik) Forms masculine agentives See also: ־ניצע (-nitse)
-ént ־ענט (-ent) Forms masculine agentives Stressed
-éts ־עץ (-ets) Forms masculine agentives
-er ־ער (-er) Forms masculine agentives
-úk ־וק (-uk) Forms masculine agentives Pejorative; stressed[6]
-ák ־אַק (-ak)-yák ־יאַק (-yak) Forms masculine agentives Pejorative; stressed[6]
־א (-a) Unstressed final vowels generally feminine, except where semantic masculinity overrides[7]
־ה (-h) Unstressed final vowels generally feminine, except where semantic masculinity overrides[7]
־ע (-e) Unstressed final vowels generally feminine, except where semantic masculinity overrides[7]
-hayt ־הײַט (-hayt) Generally feminine[7]
-kayt ־קײַט (-kayt) Generally feminine[7]
-ung ־ונג (-ung) Generally feminine[7]
-úr ־ור (-ur) Generally feminine[7]
-əs ־ותֿ (-us) Generally feminine; occasionally neuter[7][8]
-ik ־יק (-ik) Generally feminine[7]
-ənish ־עניש (-enish) Generally feminine; occasionally neuter[7][8]
-énts [Term?] Generally feminine[7]
-ék ־עק (-ek) Generally feminine[7]
-əráy ־ערײַ (-eray) Generally feminine; occasionally neuter[7][8]
-shaft ־שאַפֿט (-shaft) Generally feminine[7]
-tə ־טע (-te) Forms feminine agentives Most frequent feminizing suffix for Semitic component agentives[9]
-tsə ־יצע (-itse) Forms feminine agentives
-in ־ין (-in) Forms feminine agentives
-kə ־קע (-ke) Forms feminine agentives
-∅ (+stem vowel ablaut) Nominalisations of adjectival stems קעלט (kelt, cold, noun) (c.f. קאַלט (kalt, cold, adj), קעלטער (kelter, colder, comparative degree)) Compare German Kälte f (cold, noun), kalt (cold, adj), kälter (colder, comparative degree). Unlike German, there is no final vowel.
syllabic -ḷ ־ל (-l) Diminutive: little Almost always neuter, except in very rare cases when semantic gender overrides[10]
-ḷe ־עלע (-ele) Diminutive, 2nd degree: very little Almost always neuter, except in very rare cases when semantic gender overrides[10]
gə- גע־ (ge-) Collective Generally neuter[11]
-varg ־וואַרג (-varg) "ware" Generally neuter[11]; Albright argues that this behaves more like a bound stem than a suffix[12]
-tum ־טום (-tum) Generally neuter[11]
-s ־ס (-s) Generally neuter[11]
-əkhts, -akhts ־עכֿץ (-ekhts) (־עכץ (-ekhts)) Generally neuter[11]
-∅ Nominalisations of: 1) infinitives; 2) adjectives ending in ־ע Neuter[13]
lekh/-elekh ־עלעך (-elekh)/־לעך (-lekh)
-lich (very rare)
ke [Term?]
-nost -nost ־נאָסט (-nost) פּאָטעפֿאַלנאָסט (potefalnost, audacity) < פּאָטעפֿאַלנע (potefalne, audacious); דאָוויערענאָסט (dovyerenost, power of attorney) < Russian доверенность (doverennostʹ) Extremely rare, only in Slavic loanwords
izm ־יזם (-izm)
-em ־עם (-em)
־עם (-em) syllabic
tshik ־טשיק (-tshik)
in [Term?]
te [Term?]
tel/-stel [Term?]
adjectival/adverbial
Affix Function Examples Notes
erheyt [Term?]
lekh ־לעך (-lekh)
ik ־יק (-ik), ־יִק (-ik); ־יג (-ig) (daytshmerish)

prefixes:

verbal edit

Affix Function Examples Notes
ant- אַנט־ (ant-)^ Unstressed prefix
ba- באַ־ (ba-)^ Unstressed prefix
der- דער־ (der-)^ Unstressed prefix
far- פֿאַר־ (far-)^ 'completeness of action; initiation of a change in circumstances; debasement of the value or success of the action' Unstressed prefix
ge- גע־ (ge-)^ Unstressed prefix
tse- צע־ (tse-)^ Unstressed prefix
oys- אויז־ (oyz-) [óys] Stressed prefix
uf- אויפֿ־ (oyf-) [úf] Stressed prefix
um- אומ־ (um-) [úm] Stressed prefix
unter- אונטער־ (unter-) Stressed prefix
iber- איבער (iber) Stressed prefix
ayn- אײַנ־ (ayn-) 'enter a new state; change of situation' Stressed prefix
on- אָנ־ (on-) Stressed prefix
op- אָפּ־ (op-) past tense: [óp] / [ó] Stressed prefix
bay- בײַ־ (bay-) Stressed prefix
for- פֿאָר־ (for-) Stressed prefix
tsu- צו־ (tsu-) Stressed prefix
(free stressed prefixes)
(a)dú(r)kh- אַדורכ־ (adurkh-)/דורכ־ (durkh-)
ahin- אַהינ־ (ahin-)
aher- אַהער (aher)
avek- אַװעק־ (avek-)
mit- מיט־ (mit-)
a(nt)kegen- (antkegṇ-)? אַנטקעגנ־ (antkegn-)/אַקעגענ־ (akegen-)
anider אַנידער־ (anider-)
arop- אַראָפּ־ (arop-)
aroys- אַרויס־ (aroys-)
arúf- אַרויפֿ־ (aroyf-)
arum- אַרומ־ (arum-)
arayn- אַרײַנ־ (arayn-)
arunter- אַרונטער־ (arunter-)
ariber- אַריבער־ (ariber-)
nokh- נאָכ־ (nokh-)
farbay- פֿאַרבײַ־ (farbay-)
faroys- פֿאַרויס־ (faroys-)
funander- פֿונאַנדער־ (funander-)
tsuzamen- צוזאַמענ־ (tsuzamen-)
tzunoyf- צונויפֿ־ (tsunoyf-)

adverbial edit

Affix Function Examples Notes
a- [Term?]
am- [Term?]

Notes edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The 's' is pronounced somewhere between /s/ and /z/
  2. ^ Katz, p.56
  3. 3.0 3.1 Katz, p.54
  4. ^ Katz, p.62
  5. 5.0 5.1 Katz, p.57
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Katz, p.49
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 Katz, p.49
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Katz, p.52
  9. ^ Katz, p.51
  10. 10.0 10.1 Katz, p.52
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Katz, p.52
  12. ^ Albright, p.7
  13. ^ Katz, p.53

References edit

  • Albright, Adam (2008) “Inflectional paradigms have bases too: Arguments from Yiddish”, in Asaf Bachrach and Andrew Nevins, editors, Inflectional identity[1], London: Oxford University Press, pages 271-312
  • Katz, Dovid (1987) Grammar of the Yiddish Language[2], London: Duckworth, →ISBN