Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-išče

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

• (West Slavic, partially Belarusian and Ukrainian): *-isko.
• (with -ov- formant, taken from u-stems, and influenced by verbs on -ovati and adjectives on -ovъ): *-ovišče.

Etymology

From earlier *isk-je. Originally it was probably used exclusively denominally for forming augmentatives, and later a semantic shift to place names occurred. E.g. *bolto (“mud”) → *boltišče (“large mud, a lot of mud”) > "there where is muddy". Deverbal formations from verbs on *-iti are a late innovation.

Suffix

*-išče n

1. Denominal, denoting places or spaces.

   *gnojь (“manure, pus, dung”) → *gnojišče (“midden, cesspool, manure pile”)

   *ogňь (“fire”) → *ogňišče (“fireplace”)

   *sǫdъ (“judgement, trial”) → *sǫdišče (“court”)

   *lovъ (“hunting, hunt”) → *lovišče (“hunting area/ground”)

2. Denominal, forming augmentatives, denoting increase or growth of quality.

   *dvorъ (“court, courtyard”) → *dvorišče (“yard”)

   *tъrgъ (“commodity, wares; market”) → *tъržišče (“market, fairground”)

3. Denominal, forming emotionally colored nouns, mostly augmentatives (usually with pejorative connotation), rarely diminutives.

   *baba (“old woman”) → *babišče (“hag”)

   *čudo (“wonder”) → *čudovišče (“monster”)

4. Denominal, forming nouns denoting a handle of a tool.

   *kosa (“scythe”) → *kosišče (“scythe handle”)

   *toporъ (“axe, hatchet”) → *toporišče (“axe handle”)

Declension

Declension of *-išče (soft o-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-išče	*-išči	*-išča
genitive	*-išča	*-išču	*-iščь
dative	*-išču	*-iščema	*-iščemъ
accusative	*-išče	*-išči	*-išča
instrumental	*-iščьmь, *-iščemь*	*-iščema	*-išči
locative	*-išči	*-išču	*-iščixъ
vocative	*-išče	*-išči	*-išča

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

Derived terms

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-išče

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -ище (-išče)
    • Belarusian: -ішча (-išča), -ышча (-yšča)
    • Russian: -ище (-išče)
    • Carpathian Rusyn: -іще (-išče)
    • Ukrainian: -ище (-yšče)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: -ище (-ište)

    Glagolitic script: -ⰹⱋⰵ (-ište)

    • → Romanian: -iște
    • → Albanian: -ishte
  • Bulgarian: -ище (-ište)
  • Macedonian: -иште (-ište)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: -иште

    Latin script: -ište, -išče, -išće

  • Slovene: -išče
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -iště
  • Kashubian: -iszcze, -ëszcze
  • Polabian: -istě
  • Polish: -yszcze, -iszcze
  • Slovak: -ište, -iščo (dialectal)
  • Slovincian: -ëszczô, -iszczô
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: -išćo
    • Upper Sorbian: -išćo

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
• 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 77f
• Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-išče”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 95