Also not to be confused with alpha privative, which comes from Greek; an alpha in front of a word turns it negative (Latin uses "in").
Do you have this a- (or something like it) in French or Latin ?
___________________________
a- in [Times they are a-changing] and a- in [afoot, abroad, alit]
------ same or different etym.?
The "a-" in "Times They Are A-Changin'" vs. "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these phrases has different etymological origins.
--- "Times They Are A-Changin'"
The "a-" in this phrase is a verbal particle, a
grammatical element that functions as a marker of the progressive
aspect. It indicates that an action is ongoing or continuous. This usage
is common in older English and dialects.
--- "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these words is a prefix, a morpheme added to
the beginning of a word to change its meaning. In these cases, it is a remnant of the Old English preposition "on" or "in," indicating location
or direction.
So, while both use the letter "a-," they have distinct roles in the
language.
(My usual Larousse is speaking not unto me this morning.)
Le 17/07/2024 à 23:46, HenHanna a écrit :
Do you have this a- (or something like it) in French or Latin ?
I don't think French has it. 'a-' can be used to mark direction (amener)
or negation (anormal):
<https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/definition/a>
(My usual Larousse is speaking not unto me this morning.)
'e-' also comes to mind, marking a lack of something: écrémé (skimmed (milk)), écervelé (brainless), éborgner (to remove an eye)....
___________________________
a- in [Times they are a-changing] and a- in [afoot, abroad, alit]
------ same or different etym.?
The "a-" in "Times They Are A-Changin'" vs. "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these phrases has different etymological origins.
--- "Times They Are A-Changin'"
The "a-" in this phrase is a verbal particle, a
grammatical element that functions as a marker of the progressive
aspect. It indicates that an action is ongoing or continuous. This
usage is common in older English and dialects.
--- "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these words is a prefix, a morpheme added
to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. In these cases, it
is a remnant of the Old English preposition "on" or "in," indicating
location or direction.
So, while both use the letter "a-," they have distinct roles in the
language.
'e-' also comes to mind, marking a lack of something: écrémé (skimmed (milk)), écervelé (brainless), éborgner (to remove an eye)....
'a-' can be used to mark direction (amener)
Do you have this a- (or something like it) in French or Latin ?
___________________________
a- in [Times they are a-changing] and a- in [afoot, abroad, alit]
------ same or different etym.?
The "a-" in "Times They Are A-Changin'" vs. "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these phrases has different etymological origins.
--- "Times They Are A-Changin'"
The "a-" in this phrase is a verbal particle, a
grammatical element that functions as a marker of the progressive
aspect. It indicates that an action is ongoing or continuous. This usage
is common in older English and dialects.
--- "Afoot, Abroad, Alit"
The "a-" in these words is a prefix, a morpheme added to
the beginning of a word to change its meaning. In these cases, it is a remnant of the Old English preposition "on" or "in," indicating location
or direction.
So, while both use the letter "a-," they have distinct roles in the
language.
I presume you are referring to the Bob Dylan song
"The Times they are a-changin'" ? If so
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_They_Are_a-Changin%27_(song)
"The a- in the song title is an archaic
intensifying prefix, as in the British songs
"A-Hunting We Will Go" and "Here We Come
a-Wassailing", from the 18th and 19th century."
On 2024-07-24, Tilde <invalide@invalid.invalid> wrote:
I presume you are referring to the Bob Dylan songAs far as I know, it's a participle prefix. It goes back to Old
"The Times they are a-changin'" ? If so
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_They_Are_a-Changin%27_(song)
"The a- in the song title is an archaic
intensifying prefix, as in the British songs
"A-Hunting We Will Go" and "Here We Come
a-Wassailing", from the 18th and 19th century."
English ge- /je/, which could be used to give a past participle a
perfective meaning. This was generalized into a prefix for past
participles and even present participles, but remained dialectal.
For instance, use of a- with present particles is a feature of
Appalachian English.
Compare ge- in German. In Old High German this again could be used
to give a past participle a perfective meaning, but eventually it
was simply generalized to all past participles if not blocked by
another prefix.
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