Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kunnaną

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.

From Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥néh₃ti, from *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈkun.nɑ.nɑ̃/

*kunnaną

1. to know, to be familiar with, to recognise
2. to know how, to be able to

The main distinction between *kunnaną and *maganą is that the former deals with one's own capabilities, whereas the latter indicates ability due to favourable circumstances not under one's control.

• *kannijaną
• *kōniz
• *kunþaz

• *knēaną

• Proto-West Germanic: *kunnan
  • Old English: cunnan
    • Middle English: cunnen, can, canne, conne, connen, cun, cunne, kanne
      • English: can, con, cun, could, cunning, canny
      • Scots: can, cun, cunning
      • Yola: canna, cou
  • Old Frisian: kunna
    • North Frisian:

      Föhr-Amrum: kön

      Hallig: kune

      Helgoland: kan

      Mooring: koone

      Sylt: ken

    • Saterland Frisian: konne
    • West Frisian: kinne
  • Old Saxon: kunnan
    • Middle Low German: künnen, kynnen, kunnen, konnen, können, kȫnen, konen
      • Low German: könen
      • Plautdietsch: kjanen
  • Old Dutch: cunnan
    • Middle Dutch: connen
      • Dutch: kunnen, (dialectal) kennen, konnen
        • Afrikaans: kan (from inflected form kan)
        • Berbice Creole Dutch: kan (from inflected form kan)
        • Javindo: ken
        • Negerhollands: kan, ka (from inflected form kan)
        • Petjo: kan, ken
        • Skepi Creole Dutch: can (from inflected form kan)
      • Limburgish: kónne
      • West Flemish: keunn
  • Old High German: kunnan
    • Middle High German: kunnen, künnen
      • Alemannic German: chöne, chönne (Uri)
        • Swabian: kenna
          • Sathmar Swabian: kenne
      • Central Franconian: kenne, känne (variant spelling)
      • East Central German:

        Erzgebirgisch: kènn

        Upper Saxon German: gönn

      • German: können
      • Luxembourgish: kënnen
      • Rhine Franconian:
        • Pennsylvania German: kenne
      • Vilamovian: kenna
      • Yiddish: קענען (kenen)
• Old Norse: kunna
  • Icelandic: kunna
  • Faroese: kunna
  • Norwegian:

    Norwegian Bokmål: kunne

    Norwegian Nynorsk: kunne, kunna

  • Old Swedish: kunna
    • Swedish: kunna
  • Old Danish: kunnæ
    • Danish: kunne
  • Elfdalian: kunna
  • Gutnish: kunne
• Gothic: 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (kunnan)