Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ica
Proto-Slavic edit
Etymology edit
By secondary thematicization of older consonant-stem, e.g.
- post-Proto-Indo-European *musī (“fly”) (cf. Ancient Greek μυῖα (muîa), Latin musca) > Pre-Slavic *mus-ī-k- > *mux-ī-k-ā > Common Slavic *mъšica (“fly”).
- post-Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷíh₂s (“she-wolf”) (cf. Proto-Germanic *wulgī) > Pre-Slavic *vilk-ī-k- > *vilč-ī-k-ā > Common Slavic *vьlčica (“she-wolf”)
This is comparable to the treatment of ī/ih₂-stems in Latin, in the suffix -trīx, compare:
- Latin genitrīx (“mother”) : Sanskrit जनित्री (jánitrī, “mother”), Ancient Greek γενέτειρα (genéteira).
The primary function in PIE, also retained in Proto-Slavic, was thus to create feminines, substantivized feminine adjectives. The diminutive function is closely related to the structural element */-k-ā/, and has parallels in other suffixes: *-ьka, *-ъka, *-ika, *-ьkъ, *-ъkъ.
Suffix edit
*-ica f (sometimes m, see usage notes)
- Denominal, forming diminutives.
- Denominal, forming feminine counterparts of masculine nouns.
- Denominal, forming nouns denoting something related to the meaning of the baseword.
- *buky, *bukъve (“beech”) → *bukъvica (“beech fruit”)
- *bъrъ (“a kind of millet”) → *bъrica (“a variety of wild millet”)
- Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.
- (rare) Deadjectival, forming abstract nouns.
- *blědъ (“pale”) → *blědica (“paleness”)
- *blědьnъ (“pale”) → *blědьnica (“paleness”)
- (rare) Deverbal, forming agent nouns and nomina instrumenti.
Declension edit
singular | dual | plural | |
---|---|---|---|
nominative | *-ica | *-ici | *-icę̇ |
genitive | *-icę̇ | *-icu | *-icь |
dative | *-ici | *-icama | *-icamъ |
accusative | *-icǫ | *-ici | *-icę̇ |
instrumental | *-icejǫ, *-icǫ** | *-icama | *-icami |
locative | *-ici | *-icu | *-icasъ, *-icaxъ* |
vocative | *-ice | *-ici | *-icę̇ |
** 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).
Usage notes edit
Forming feminine counterparts of masculine nouns is particularly productive in South Slavic. North Slavic normally prefers the suffix *-ьca / *-ъka instead.
Diminutive formations are particularly productive in South Slavic (especially Old Church Slavonic and Serbo-Croatian, which do not have diminutive reflexes of suffixes *-ьca / *-ъka). North Slavic has the suffix preserved in relics, and prefers the suffix *-ьca / *-ъka instead.
Agent and instrument nouns formations are secondary, and were originally based on the primary adjective, noun or participle, and later semantically influenced by the corresponding verb. E.g.
- *bъrzica (“fast flowing river; a fast human or animal”) ← *bъrzъ (“fast”) : *bъrziti (“to rush, hurry, haste”)
- *bujica (“torrent, rapid stream”) ← *bujь (“unrestrained, violent, fierce”) : *bujiti (“to rapidly, vigorously grow, surge, swell”)
Some agent nouns on *-ica, such as *pьjanica (“drunkard”), can also be masculine, which is especially productive in Serbo-Croatian.
Accent depends on that of the baseword. In case of oxytonic and circumflexed base, usually the suffixal *-i- is acuted. Derivations from acuted basewords usually preserve the acute (e.g. *ba̋bica, *sta̋rica).
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
- *-ьnica (with *-ьn- element abstracted away from denominal derivations on *-ьnъ)
- *-avica (with *-av- element abstracted away from agent nouns on *-ava and adjectives on *-avъ)
Related terms edit
- *-ikъ (masculine counterpart)
Descendants edit
- East Slavic:
- South Slavic:
- West Slavic:
References edit
- 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 85f
- Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-ica”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 98