Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/Dōnawjaz

This Proto-Germanic 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-Germanic

Etymology

Borrowed from Proto-Celtic *Dānowyos, an extended form of the river-name *Dānu, from Proto-Indo-European *déh₂nu (“river goddess”), akin to *dʰenh₂- (“to set in motion; to flow”). The Celtic name is also the source of Latin Dānuvius, Dānubius and Ancient Greek Δανούιος (Danoúios) and Δανούβιος (Danoúbios). *Dōnawjaz was reinterpreted as a feminine jō-stem in West Germanic (Schumacher 2007: 181).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdɔː.ˌnɑu̯.jɑz/

Proper noun

*Dōnawjaz m

the river Danube

Inflection

masculine ja-stemDeclension of *Dōnawjaz (masculine ja-stem)
	singular
nominative	*Dōnawjaz
vocative	*Dōnawi
accusative	*Dōnawją
genitive	Dōnawjas, Dōnawis
dative	*Dōnawjai
instrumental	*Dōnawjō

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *Dōnauwjā, *Dōnauwju
- Old English: Dōnua (hapax att. c. 890, possibly actually from Old Cornish or Old Saxon)
- Old Saxon: *Dōnūa
  - Middle Low German: Dônouw, Dônouwe, Dunouw, Dunouwe
  - → Old Norse: Dónua
- Old Dutch: *Donouwa
  - Middle Dutch: Danouwe, Dunouwe, Denouwe
- Old High German: Tuonouwa, Duonowa, Tuonouwe
  - Middle High German: Tuonouwe, Tuonowe, Tuonawe, Tunaw
    - German: Donau, Dunau, Tonau, Dhonau, Thonau, Donaw, Dunaw, Dhonaw, Tonaw, Tunaw, Thonaw, Thunaw (obsolete)
      - → Chinese: 多瑙 (Duōnǎo)
      - → Danish: Donau
      - → Dutch: Donau
      - → Icelandic: Dóná
      - → Japanese: ドナウ (Donau)
      - → Low German: Donau
      - → Norwegian Bokmål: Donau
      - → Norwegian Nynorsk: Donau
      - → Swedish: Donau
Gothic: *𐌳𐍉𐌽𐌰𐍅𐌹 (*dōnawi)
- → Ancient Greek: Δούναβις (Doúnabis)
  - Greek: Δούναβης (Doúnavis)
- → Proto-Slavic: *Dunavь (see there for further descendants)

References

Stefan Schumacher (2007), ‘Die Deutschen und die Nachbarstämme: Lexikalische und strukturelle Sprachkontaktphänomene entlang der keltisch-germanischen Übergangszone’ (), Keltische Forschungen 2, pp. 181-182, Praesens Verlag, Vienna.
David Stifter (2009), ‘The Proto-Germanic shift *ā>*ō and early Germanic linguistic contacts’ (pdf), Historische Sprachforschung / Historical Linguistics, Bd. 122, p. 277.
Koch, John (2004) “*Dānu, *Dānowyos”, in English–Proto-Celtic Word-list with attested comparanda‎, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies, page 283