Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-yka

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

Uncertain. Probably a combination of *-y +‎ *-ka. A fossilization of an older *-yja or a borrowed origin have been also proposed (see Proto-Germanic *-ungō, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kʷ-).

Unlike *-ykъ which seems to be a mere extension of archaic masculine *-y nouns (cf. *ęzykъ (“tongue”) < Pre-Slavic *inźūˀ), *-yka appears to fulfill a genuine grammatical function.

Suffix

*-ỳka f

1. Deverbial, forms instruments or representees of the referred verb (rare)

   *motati (“to hurl, to reel”) → *motyka (“hoe, mattock”)

   *volděti (“to rule, to wield”) → *voldyka (“sovereign”)

   *kъldovati (“to conjure, to bewitch”) → *kъldyka (“sick, handicap person”)

   *xoditi (“to walk”) → *хоdyka (⇒ Belarusian хады́ка (xadýka, “walker”))

Declension

Declension of *-yka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-yka	*-ycě	*-yky
genitive	*-yky	*-yku	*-ykъ
dative	*-ycě	*-ykama	*-ykamъ
accusative	*-ykǫ	*-ycě	*-yky
instrumental	*-ykojǫ, *-ykǫ**	*-ykama	*-ykami
locative	*-ycě	*-yku	*-ykasъ, *-ykaxъ*
vocative	*-yko	*-ycě	*-yky

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** 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).

See also

• *-ъkъ
• *-ьcь, *-ikъ

References

• Duridinov et al. (1991) "-ъıкa" in Граматика на старобългарския език (in Bulgarian), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 183

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*motyka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 20 (*morzatъjь – *mъrsknǫti), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 79