The etymology of the Nordic negative enclitic -a/-(a)t

Abstract

This paper provides a critical assessment of the etymological hypotheses that have been put forth through the years for ON -a/-(a)t ‘not’, a negative particle suffixed to finite verbs, found in Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian. The four main etymologies evaluated are: (i) the connector/generalizing particle PGmc *-(u)h^w (cf. Go. -uh); (ii) the numeral for ‘one’, PGmc *ainã/*ainat- (cf. Go. ain, ainata); (iii) the (negative) indefinite phrases PGmc *(n-)aiwa- ‘(n)ever’ and *(n-)aiwa-weht- ‘(n)ever a thing’; and finally (iv) -(a)t as an extended version of -a, with -t originally a second person singular marker, i.e. *ā (< *ai) ‘ever’ + 2sg *-t. Etymology (iv) is a new hypothesis, and much of the paper is spent testing it, using evidence from the Poetic Edda. It turns out that there is good support for etymology (iv). Still, it is difficult to decide the question once and for all, and progress on this front depends mostly on the prospect of new empirical material emerging, in particular new runic inscriptions.