Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/ně-

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.

Pronoun prefix with indefinite function. Apparently related to forms of Proto-Indo-European *né, however, uncertainly how:

• One possibility is a direct descent from Proto-Indo-European *néh₁, cognate with Latin nē (“not”), Sanskrit ना (nā, “not”). The logic of this derivation is that *ně- originally reflected the meaning none particularly. In support of this hypothesis serves the rare autonomous form Proto-Slavic *ně (“none”) and analogous formations in Baltic: Lithuanian nėkas (“nobody particularly”), Lithuanian nekur̃s (“nowhere particularly”).
• Alternatively, according to F. Mikloshich, from the conflation of *ne (“not”) +‎ *vě (“to know”). Effectively, then *ně- would stand for unknowing who/what/where/how/etc. Vasmer considers this derivation phonetically unsound.
• According to Trubachev, possibly from the conflation of *ne (“not”) +‎ *je (“to be”). Similar to the dialectal *něměti (“not to have”) from Proto-Slavic *ne + *jьměti (“to have”).

Almost not used in Modern Polish. Old Polish did preserve niekako (“somehow”), etc. – in Modern Polish rarely used niejako, niejaki, etc. Not used in Ukrainian.

*ně-

1. some- (with interrogatory pronouns)

• *někъjь (“somebody”), *něčьjь (“somebody's”)
• *někъto (“somebody, someone”)
• *něčьto (“something”)
• *někakъ (“somehow”)
• *několiko (“several”)
• *někogъda (“sometime, once”)
• *někъde (“somewhere”)
• *někǫda (“to somewhere”)

• East Slavic:
  • Belarusian: не- (nje-)
  • Russian: не́- (né-)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: нѣ- (ně-)
  • Bulgarian: ня- (nja-)
  • Macedonian: не- (ne-)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: не̏-

    Latin script: nȅ-, njȅ- (dialectal)

  • Slovene: ne-
• West Slavic:
  • Czech: ně-
  • Polish: nie-
  • Slovak: nie-
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: ně-
    • Lower Sorbian: ně-

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “некий”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*ne/*ně”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 91
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nečьjь/*něčьjь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 112
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nečьto/*něčьto”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 113
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekakъ(jь)/*někakъ(jь)”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 138
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekoliko/*několiko”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 140
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekǫda/*někǫda”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 142
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekъde/*někъde”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 145
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekъgъdа/*někъgъda”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 146
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1999), “*nekъjь/*někъjь”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 25 (*neroditi – *novotьnъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 146
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1997), “*nekoterъ(je)/někoterъ(jь)”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков (in Russian), numbers 24 (*navijati (sę)/*navivati (sę) – *nerodimъ(jь)), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 141
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “ня”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 726
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., Duridanov, I. V., editors (1995), “някак”, in Български етимологичен речник (in Bulgarian), volume 4 (мѝнго² – па̀дам), Sofia: Prof. Marin Drinov Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 727