Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/bergъ

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

Most[1] linguists derive the word from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos (“hill”), from *bʰerǵʰ-, with Proto-Germanic *bergaz as the exact cognate. Close cognates include Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬵 (bar^əzah), and Old Armenian բերձ (berj). PIE ǵʰ is expected to give PS z, not g. Vasmer suggested that there existed a variant of the *bʰerǵʰ- root with a depalatalised stem-final velar.

Because of this unexpected form, some scholars consider it a borrowing from Germanic, e.g. Old High German berg, or from a Venetic-Illyrian language. Per Derksen, this is possible but it lacks a solid basis.

Noun

*bȇrgъ m[2][3][4][5]

bank, shore
edge
Synonym: *krajь

Inflection

Though it is traditionally reconstructed as a hard o-stem, Pronk-Tiethoff suggests that *bergъ was probably a u-stem instead, noting its accentuation and its reflexes found in Russian, e.g. the “second locative” na beregú and the adjective formation beregovój.

Declension of *bȇrgъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bȇrgъ	*bȇrga	*bȇrdzi
genitive	*bȇrga	*bergù	*bẽrgъ
dative	*bȇrgu	*bergomà	*bergòmъ
accusative	*bȇrgъ	*bȇrga	*bȇrgy
instrumental	bȇrgъmь, bȇrgomь^*	*bergomà	*bergý
locative	*bȇrdzě	*bergù	*berdzě̃xъ
vocative	*berže	*bȇrga	*bȇrdzi

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

Declension of *bȇrgъ (u-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*bȇrgъ	*bȇrgy	*bȇrgove
genitive	*bȇrgu	*bergovù	*bergòvъ
dative	*bȇrgovi	*bergъmà	*bȇrgъmъ
accusative	*bȇrgъ	*bȇrgy	*bȇrgy
instrumental	*bȇrgъmь	*bergъmà	*bergъmì
locative	*bergú	*bergovù	*bȇrgъxъ
vocative	*bergu	*bȇrgy	*bȇrgove

Derived terms

*bergatъ
*bergovitъ
*bergovъ
*bergulja / *bergulica (“coastal swallow”)
*bergyni (“coastal fairy, mermaid”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: берегъ (beregŭ)
  - Old Ruthenian: бе́регъ (béreh)
    - Belarusian: бе́раг (bjérah)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: бе́рег (béreh)
    - Ukrainian: бе́ріг (bérih), бе́рег (béreh)
  - Russian: бе́рег (béreg)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: брѣгъ (brěgŭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⰱⱃⱑⰳⱏ (brěgŭ)
  - → Old East Slavic: брѣгъ (brěgŭ), брегъ (bregŭ)
    - Russian: брег (breg)
- Bulgarian: бряг (brjag)
- Macedonian: брег (breg)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: брије̑г, бре̑г, бриг
  
  Latin script: brijȇg, brȇg, brig
- Slovene: brẹ̑g (tonal orthography)
- → Albanian: breg
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: břěh
  - Czech: břeh
- Old Polish: brzeg
  - Masurian: brżég
  - Polish: brzeg
    - → Yiddish: ברעג (breg)
  - Silesian: brzyg
- Slovak: breh
- Polabian: brig
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: brzég
  - Slovincian: brzég
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: brjóh
  - Lower Sorbian: brjog

References

Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “беріг”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
Derksen, Rick (2008) “*bȇrgъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 37: “m. o (c) ‘bank’”
Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “bergъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 191
Sławski, Franciszek, editor (1974), “bergъ”, in Słownik prasłowiański [Proto-Slavic Dictionary] (in Polish), volumes 1 (a – bьzděti), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 203
Olander, Thomas (2001) “bergъ -a”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “d (OSA 139f.; PR 137)”