Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/berkan

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

Unknown; suggested to be related to Icelandic berkja (“to boast”), Norwegian borka (“to boast”), and perhaps further to Ancient Greek φάρυγξ (phárunx, “pharynx”).^[1]

Verb

*berkan

to bark

Inflection

Strong class 3
Infinitive	*berkan
1st sg. past	*bark
3rd pl. past	*burkun
Past ptcple	*borkan
Infinitive	*berkan
Genitive infin.	*berkannjas
Dative infin.	*berkannjē
Instrum. infin.	*berkannju
Indicative	Present	Past
1st singular	*berku	*bark
2nd singular	*birkiʀi	*burkī
3rd singular	*birkidi	*bark
1st plural	*berkum	*burkum
2nd plural	*birkid	*burkud
3rd plural	*berkand	*burkun
Subjunctive	Present	Past
1st singular	*berkē	*burkī
2nd singular	*berkēs	*burkī
3rd singular	*berkē	*burkī
1st plural	*berkēm	*burkīm
2nd plural	*berkēþ	*burkīd
3rd plural	*berkēn	*burkīn
Imperative	Present
Singular	*birk
Plural	*birkid
	Present	Past
Participle	*berkandī	*borkan

Related terms

*burkōn
- Old English: borcian

Descendants

Old English: beorcan, bercan
- Middle English: berken, barke, barken, beerke, beorken, berke, berkyn, borken
  - English: bark
  - Scots: berk, bark

References

^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*berkan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 61

[1] Guus Kroonen (2013) “*berkan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 61

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