Copulative a

2025-10-04T10:22:27Z

2001:BB6:B894:C500:9850:36D6:D51D:C795: Replaced template for deletion

{{short description|Ancient Greek prefix}}
{{refimprove|date=September 2024}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Copulative ''a''}}
The '''copulative ''a''''' (also '''''a'' copulativum''', '''''a'' athroistikon''') is the [[prefix]] {{lang|grc|ἁ-}} ({{translit|grc|ha-}}) or {{lang|grc|α-}} ({{translit|grc|a-}}) used to express unity in [[Ancient Greek]], derived from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|*sm̥-}}, cognate to English ''same'' (see also [[symbel]]).<ref name="a">{{LSJ|a)1|ἀ-|ref}}.</ref>

An example is {{lang|grc|ἀδελφός}} ({{translit|grc|adelphós}} 'brother'), from {{lang|ine-x-proto|*sm̥-gʷelbhos}}, literally meaning 'from the same womb' (compare [[Delphi]]).

In [[Proto-Greek language|Proto-Greek]], the [[Proto-Indo-European phonology|Proto-Indo-European phoneme]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|*s}} at the beginning of a word became {{lang|grk-x-proto|*h}} by [[debuccalization]] and [[syllabic consonant|syllabic]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|*m̥}} became {{lang|grk-x-proto|*a}}, giving the combined form {{lang|grk-x-proto|ha-}}. The initial {{lang|grk-x-proto|h}} was sometimes lost by [[psilosis]] or [[Grassmann's law]].

[[Cognate]] forms in other languages preserve the original Proto-Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|*s}}. For example, the [[Sanskrit]] prefix {{translit|sa|saṃ-}} occurs in the name of the language, {{lang|sa|सं॒स्कृ॒त}} {{translit|sa|saṃ-s-kṛtá}}, literally 'put together'. Less exact cognates include English ''same'' and ''some'', and Latin {{lang|la|simul}} 'at the same time' and {{lang|la|similis}} 'similar'.<ref>{{OEtymD|same}}</ref><ref>{{OED|same}}</ref>

Other words in Greek are related, including {{lang|grc|ᾰ̔́μᾰ}} ({{translit|grc|háma}} 'at the same time'), {{lang|grc|ὁμός}} ({{translit|grc|homós}} 'same'), and {{lang|grc|εἷς}} ({{translit|grc|heís}} 'one'; from Proto-Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|*sem-s}}).<ref name="a" /><ref>{{LSJ|a(/ma1|ἅμα}}, {{LSJ|o(mo/s|ὁμός}}, {{LSJ|ei({{=}}s|εἷς|shortref}}.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Privative a]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copulative A}}
[[Category:Indo-European linguistics]]
[[Category:Greek language]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Copulative a