Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swalwǭ

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

Uncertain. Possibly related to Russian солове́й (solovéj, “nightingale”). Possibly related to Ancient Greek ἀλκυών (alkuṓn, “kingfisher”), in which case the corresponding PGmc reconstruction would be *swalhwǭ.

Kroonen compares *sūliz (“column, pillar”) and *sūljan- (“to insert a wedge-shaped piece into an incision”), explaining that the gannet and swallow were named for their wedge-shaped tails. In this case, the original form *suoHl-ueh₂- would have developed into *swalwǭ by Dybo's law.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈswɑl.wɔ̃ː/

Noun

*swalwǭ f

swallow (bird)

Inflection

ōn-stemDeclension of *swalwǭ (ōn-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*swalwǭ	*swalwōniz
vocative	*swalwǭ	*swalwōniz
accusative	*swalwōnų	*swalwōnunz
genitive	*swalwōniz	*swalwōnǫ̂
dative	*swalwōni	*swalwōmaz
instrumental	*swalwōnē	*swalwōmiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *swalwā
- Old English: swealwe, swealewe
  - Middle English: swalwe, swalewe, swalowe, swhalow, sualow, swalow, swalue, swolwe, swaluwe, swalew, swalugh
    - English: swallow
    - Scots: swalla, swallae
- Old Frisian: swale
  - North Frisian: swaal, swul, swol
  - ⇒ Saterland Frisian: Swoalke, Swoolke
  - West Frisian: swel
- Old Saxon: swala
  - Middle Low German: swale
    - Dutch Low Saxon: swaalfe
    - German Low German: Schwaale
- Old Dutch: *swalwa, *swalawa
  - Middle Dutch: swalwe, swalewe
    - Dutch: zwaluw, zwalf, zwavel, zwalver, zwalm (dialectal)
      - Afrikaans: swael
- Old High German: swalawa
  - Middle High German: swalwe
    - Alemannic German: Schwalme
      Swabian: Schwaba
    - Central Franconian: Schwalleb, Schwallef, Schmallef, Schmollef, Schmorbel, Schmärbel, Schmälwer, Schwalwer, Schwalfter, Schwarbel, Schwawel, Schwaal
      - Hunsrik: Schwalleb
      - Luxembourgish: Schmuewel, Schmuebel, Schmuelef
    - German: Schwalbe
      - → Dutch: schwalbe
      - → Silesian: šwalbkowate (compounded with native word)
    - Vilamovian: śwojmła
Old Norse: svala
- Icelandic: svala
- Faroese: svala
- Norwegian: svale
- Old Swedish: svala
  - Swedish: svala
- Old Danish: swalæ, swolæ
  - Danish: svale, sole
- Elfdalian: såla
- Gutnish: svale
- Scanian: svala
→ Proto-Samic: *svālfō
- Northern Sami: spálfu

References

^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “swalwon”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 495

[1] Guus Kroonen (2013) “swalwon”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 495

[1]

Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swalwǭ

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