Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwaz

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

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷis (“interrogative pronoun”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xʷɑz/

Pronoun

*hwaz

1. (interrogative) who, what
2. (interrogative, in genitive) whose
3. (interrogative, in accusative and dative) whom
4. (interrogative, in instrumental) with whom, with what, how, in what way

Inflection

The feminine forms were likely already rare: they do not survive anywhere outside Gothic, and are obsolescent even there. They were used only when the person being asked about was known to be female. For a person of unknown gender, the masculine forms were used.

Declension of *hwaz (irregular)

	masculine	feminine	neuter
	singular
nominative	*hwaz	*hwō	*hwat
accusative	*hwanǭ	*hwǭ	*hwat
genitive	*hwes	*hwezōz	*hwes
dative	*hwammai	*hwezōi	*hwammai
instrumental	*hwē, *hwī, *hwō	*hwezō	*hwē, *hwī, *hwō

Derived terms

• *hwan
• *hwar
• *hwazuh
• *hwē
• *hwilīkaz
• *hwī
• *hwō

Related terms

• *hwarjaz
• *hwaþeraz
• *sa

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *hwaʀ
  • Old English: hwā
    • Middle English: who, ȝwo, ho, hoo, huo, quo, qwo, qwho, whoo, wo, woo, qua, wha, hwa, hwo, hwoa
      • English: who
      • Geordie English: whe
      • Scots: wha
      • Yola: fho, fo, vo
  • Old Frisian: hwā
    • West Frisian: wa
  • Old Saxon: hwē
    • Middle Low German: wê, wei, wie
      • Low German: we, wo
  • Old Dutch: wie
    • Middle Dutch: wie
      • Dutch: wie
      • Limburgish: wae
  • Old High German: wer, hwer; (northern) *(h)wie
    • Middle High German: wer; (northern) wie, wē
      • Central Franconian: wä
      • Cimbrian: bèar, ber (Luserna)
      • German: wer
      • Yiddish: ווער (ver)
• Old Norse: *hver, *hvar, hverr (paradigm merged with *hwarjaz), hvat, hví, hvé
  • Icelandic: hver, hvað, hví
  • Faroese: hvør, hvat, hví
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kven (from the accusative), kveim (from the dative), kva, kvi, (dialectal) kver, kvæ
  • Old Swedish: hvar, hwar, hwo; hvat
    • Swedish: vem (from the dative), vad; vi, ho
  • Danish: hvem (from the dative), hvad, hvis (from the genitive), hvi, hvo
    • Norwegian Bokmål: hvem (from the dative), hva, hvis (from the genitive), hvi, hvo
  • Jamtish: hut, hvuð, horreg
• Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐍃 (ƕas), 𐍈𐌰 (ƕa), 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē)