Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ica

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.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

By secondary thematicization of older consonant-stem, e.g.

post-Proto-Indo-European *musī (“fly”) (cf. Ancient Greek μυῖα (muîa), Latin musca) > Pre-Slavic *mus-ī-k- > *mux-ī-k-ā > Common Slavic *mъšica (“fly”).
post-Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷíh₂s (“she-wolf”) (cf. Proto-Germanic *wulgī) > Pre-Slavic *vilk-ī-k- > *vilč-ī-k-ā > Common Slavic *vьlčica (“she-wolf”)

This is comparable to the treatment of ī/ih₂-stems in Latin, in the suffix -trīx, compare:

Latin genitrīx (“mother”) : Sanskrit जनित्री (jánitrī, “mother”), Ancient Greek γενέτειρα (genéteira).

The primary function in PIE, also retained in Proto-Slavic, was thus to create feminines, substantivized feminine adjectives. The diminutive function is closely related to the structural element */-k-ā/, and has parallels in other suffixes: *-ьka, *-ъka, *-ika, *-ьkъ, *-ъkъ.

Suffix

*-ica f (sometimes m, see usage notes)

Denominal, forming diminutives.
*děva (“girl, maiden”) → *děvica (“(a little) girl”)

*muxa (“fly”) → *mušica (“(a small) fly”)

*noga (“leg”) → *nožica (“(a small) leg”)

*rǫka (“hand”) → *rǫčica (“(a small) hand”)

*oldi, *oldьje (“ship, boat”) → *oldьjica (“(a small) ship, boat”)

*ryba (“fish”) → *rybica (“(a small) fish”)
Denominal, forming feminine counterparts of masculine nouns.
*cěsařь (“emperor”) → *cěsařica (“empress”)

*lisъ (“a male fox”) → *lisica (“a female fox”)
Denominal, forming nouns denoting something related to the meaning of the baseword.
*buky, *bukъve (“beech”) → *bukъvica (“beech fruit”)

*bъrъ (“a kind of millet”) → *bъrica (“a variety of wild millet”)
Deadjectival, denoting a carrier of a property.
*pьjanъ (“drunk”) → *pьjanica (“drunkard”)

*desnъ (“right”) → *desnica (“right hand”)

*čьrnъ (“black”) → *čьrnica (“something or somebody black”)

*starъ (“old”) → *starica (“old woman”)

*zoltъ (“golden”) → *zoltica (“something golden”)
(rare) Deadjectival, forming abstract nouns.
*blědъ (“pale”) → *blědica (“paleness”)

*blědьnъ (“pale”) → *blědьnica (“paleness”)
(rare) Deverbal, forming agent nouns and nomina instrumenti.
*daviti (“to choke, gag, stifle”) → *davica (“that who/which chokes”)

*plęsati (“to dance”) → *plęsica (“dancer”)

Declension

Declension of *-ica (soft a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-ica	*-ici	*-icę̇
genitive	*-icę̇	*-icu	*-icь
dative	*-ici	*-icama	*-icamъ
accusative	*-icǫ	*-ici	*-icę̇
instrumental	-icejǫ, -icǫ^**	*-icama	*-icami
locative	*-ici	*-icu	-icasъ, -icaxъ^*
vocative	*-ice	*-ici	*-icę̇

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Usage notes

Forming feminine counterparts of masculine nouns is particularly productive in South Slavic. North Slavic normally prefers the suffix *-ьca / *-ъka instead.

Diminutive formations are particularly productive in South Slavic (especially Old Church Slavonic and Serbo-Croatian, which do not have diminutive reflexes of suffixes *-ьca / *-ъka). North Slavic has the suffix preserved in relics, and prefers the suffix *-ьca / *-ъka instead.

Agent and instrument nouns formations are secondary, and were originally based on the primary adjective, noun or participle, and later semantically influenced by the corresponding verb. E.g.

*bъrzica (“fast flowing river; a fast human or animal”) ← *bъrzъ (“fast”) : *bъrziti (“to rush, hurry, haste”)
*bujica (“torrent, rapid stream”) ← *bujь (“unrestrained, violent, fierce”) : *bujiti (“to rapidly, vigorously grow, surge, swell”)

Some agent nouns on *-ica, such as *pьjanica (“drunkard”), can also be masculine, which is especially productive in Serbo-Croatian.

Accent depends on that of the baseword. In case of oxytonic and circumflexed base, usually the suffixal *-i- is acuted. Derivations from acuted basewords usually preserve the acute (e.g. *ba̋bica, *sta̋rica).

Synonyms

(in some of the functions): *-ьka, *-ъka, *-ika (sometimes)

Derived terms

*-ьnica (with *-ьn- element abstracted away from denominal derivations on *-ьnъ)
*-avica (with *-av- element abstracted away from agent nouns on *-ava and adjectives on *-avъ)

Proto-Slavic terms suffixed with *-ica

Related terms

*-ikъ (masculine counterpart)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: -ица (-ica)
  - Old Ruthenian: -ица (-ica)
    - Belarusian: -іца (-ica)
    - Ukrainian: -иця (-ycja)
  - Russian: -ица (-ica)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Glagolitic script: -ⰹⱌⰰ (-ica)
  
  Old Cyrillic script: -ица (-ica)
  - Bulgarian: -ица (-ica)
  - Macedonian: -ица (-ica)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: -ица
  
  Latin script: -ica
- Slovene: -ica
- → Ottoman Turkish: ـیچه (-içe)
West Slavic:
- Czech: -ice
- Kashubian: -ca
- Polish: -ica, -yca
- Slovak: -ica
- Slovincian: -ica
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: -ica
  - Upper Sorbian: -ica

References

Šekli, Matej (2012) “Besedotvorni pomeni samostalniških izpeljank v praslovanščini”, in Philological Studies‎ (in Slovene), volume 10, number 1, Skopje, Perm, Ljubljana, Zagreb, pages 115–32
Halla-aho, Jussi (2006) Problems of Proto-Slavic Historical Nominal Morphology: On the Basis of Old Church Slavic (Slavica Helsingiensia; 26), Helsinki: University of Helsinki, page 85f
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “*-ica”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 98

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