én
Danish
Usage notes
Accent is optional, and reflects intonation. Compare, for example, hun har kun en kat "she only has a cat" with hun har kun én kat "she has only one cat".
Hungarian
Etymology
From Old Hungarian ɛ̄n. Usually considered to continue the Proto-Uralic first-person pronoun *minä (compare e.g. Finnish minä), but there is no consensus on how the Hungarian word has developed to its present shape. At least four proposals have been advanced:[1]
- irregular loss of the word-initial *m-
- from earlier *ɛmen, through the vocalization and loss of word-internal *-m-, as in many other cases such as ó (“old”)
- from earlier *ɛ̄mn, with the cluster *mn simplified to n
- from earlier *ɛ̄m, derived from the shorter Uralic root *mi, and with the irregular simplification of the root-final *-m to -n, perhaps first in the accusative engem (< ? *ɛmgɛm).
The last three options assume that the word was prefixed with *ɛ- at some point, perhaps an intensifying particle, or from the Proto-Uralic pronoun root *e- (“this”) (compare ez (“this”)).
Similarly irregular first-person pronouns occur in Mansi: Northern Mansi ам (am), Southern Mansi [script needed] (äm), and even in Chuvash: эпӗ (ep̬ĕ) from Proto-Turkic *ben. If these have a similar origin as the Hungarian word, they are the most compatible with the third and fourth explanations.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈeːn]
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -eːn
Declension
Derived terms
Note: In all these forms, én is optional and only serves for emphasis.
Declension
Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | én | ének |
accusative | ént | éneket |
dative | énnek | éneknek |
instrumental | énnel | énekkel |
causal-final | énért | énekért |
translative | énné | énekké |
terminative | énig | énekig |
essive-formal | énként | énekként |
essive-modal | — | — |
inessive | énben | énekben |
superessive | énen | éneken |
adessive | énnél | éneknél |
illative | énbe | énekbe |
sublative | énre | énekre |
allative | énhez | énekhez |
elative | énből | énekből |
delative | énről | énekről |
ablative | éntől | énektől |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
éné | éneké |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
énéi | énekéi |
Possessive forms of én | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
1st person sing. | énem | énjeim |
2nd person sing. | éned | énjeid |
3rd person sing. | énje | énjei |
1st person plural | énünk | énjeink |
2nd person plural | énetek | énjeitek |
3rd person plural | énjük | énjeik |
Derived terms
- énidő (én-idő)
- énkép
- énközpontú → énközpontúság
- énkultusz
- énregény
- éntudat
- felettes én (superego)
- költői én
- lírai én (lyrical I, lyrical subject)
References
- Rédei, Károly. 1963. "Az én személyes névmás eredetéhez". Nyelvtudományi Közlemények 65, pp. 166–169.
Further reading
- én in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
- én in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)
Mandarin
Alternative forms
- en — nonstandard
Old Irish
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /eːn/
Etymology 1
From Proto-Celtic *ɸetnos.
Inflection
Masculine o-stem | |||
---|---|---|---|
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
Nominative | én | énL | éuinL |
Vocative | éuin | énL | éunuH |
Accusative | énN | énL | éunuH |
Genitive | éuinL | én | énN |
Dative | éunL | énaib | énaib |
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
|
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Mutation
Old Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Nasalization |
én | unchanged | n-én |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 én”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 én”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Old Nubian
Etymology
From Proto-Nubian *éen¹, possibly from Proto-Nilo-Saharan *anɛŋ (“woman”)².
Noun
én
- mother
References
- Browne, Gerald M - Old Nubian Dictionary - Claremont School of Theology - 1996 - p 72
Vietnamese
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *ʔɛːnʔ, non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 燕 (SV: yến). Doublet of yến.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɛn˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɛŋ˦˧˥]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɛŋ˦˥]