Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-jь

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.

• *-ьjь (functionally)

Continues^[1] Proto-Indo-European *-yós and partially the marginal elative^[2] Caland suffix Proto-Indo-European *-yos ~ *-is. In some cases, e.g. Proto-Slavic *siňь, the jo-stem may have spread from the comparative *-jьš-.

Over time, some yo-stem adjectives were fossilized into nouns and some kinetic i-stems were leveled out into jo-stems, giving rise to Slavic jo-stem nouns. Another source of jo-stem nouns is from Illič-Svityč's law , which transformed neutral ap B nouns (including jo-stems) into masculine.

Cognate with Lithuanian -ỹs (under stress), -is (genitive -io), Lithuanian -ias/-jas (elsewhere), Latvian -̧s, -̧š.

*-jь

1. Adjectival inherited from the Caland roots, usually with exceptional or magnifying meaning:

   *dobľь (“honest”)

   *ryďь (“ruddy, ginger”)

   *siňь (“glaucos blue/gray”)

2. Adjectival of secondary origin, attached to o-grade roots:

   *lošь (“bad”)

   *dužь (“strong”)

   *bujь (“aggressive, fierce”)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: -и (-i)
    • Old Ruthenian: -и (-i), -й (-j)
      • Belarusian: -й (-j)
      • Ukrainian: -й (-j)
  • Russian: -й (-j)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: -и (-i)
  • Bulgarian: -ʲ(0/a/e) (with palatalization of the preceding phoneme)
  • Macedonian:
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Latin script: -i

    Cyrillic script: -и

  • Slovene:
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: -í
  • Polish: -i, -y
  • Slovak: -í
  • Sorbian:
    • Lower Sorbian: -i, -y

*-jь m

1. Nominal inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic, e.g.:

   *mǫžь (“man”)

   *moľь (“moth”)

   *koňь (“horse”)

   *ǫ̃žь (“snake”) (from a leveled PIE proterokinetic i-stem)

• *-ь (i-stem)
• *-ьjь
  • *-ьje n (noun-forming, usually denoting manner or location as well as the standard ending for deverbial action nouns)
  • *-ьja m (noun-forming, denoting collectiveness)

From verbal stems inflecting (explicitly or implicitly) with Proto-Slavic *-jeti + *-ъ.

Cognate with Lithuanian -ỹs.^[3]

*-jь m

1. Deverbal from root-emphatic verbs inflecting in original Proto-Slavic *-jeti, creates agent/instrument nouns:

   *kyjь (“hammer”) ← *kuti (“to hew”)

   *pьňь (“stump”) ←*pęti (“to stretch”)

2. Deverbal from causative/iterative verbs inflecting in Proto-Slavic *-iti, creates agent/instrument nouns:

   *voďь (“leader”) ← *voditi (“to lead”)

   *lučь (“ray”) ← *lučiti (“to pinpoint, to target”)

   *nožь (“knife”) ← *noziti (“to skewer”)

   *gojь (“fest, abundance”) ← *gojiti (“to feed”)

3. Deverbal from stative/essive verbs inflecting in *-ěti/*-jati, yielding Proto-Slavic *-ějь.
4. Deverbal from factive verbs inflecting in *-ati, yielding Proto-Slavic *-ajь.

From Proto-Indo-European *-yós (“belonging to”).

*-jь m

1. Pronominal ending, attached to o-grade root, forming possessive pronouns:

   *mojь (“mine”) ← *mi (“me”) (dative)

   *tvojь (“ray”) ← *ti (“thee”) (dative)

   *svojь (“own”) ← *si (“self”) (dative)

   *našь (“our”) ← *nàsъ (“ours”) (genitive)

   *vašь (“your”) ← *vàsъ (“yours”) (genitive)

• *jь (“relative particle”)