Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.1994, Blaðsíða 100

98
Guðrún Þórhallsdóttir
SUMMARY
This paper discusses the etymology of the Old Icelandic verb knjá (or knía), which
is solely attested in the phrase knjá mál ‘discuss/investigate a case’. The philological
evidence is explained in sections 1-1.1. Sectíons 2.1-2.1.2 discuss the standard account
of the origin of this verb, namely, that knjá is a descendant of the verb knýja (pret.
kníði) ‘knock, press, etc.’ (< PGmc. *kniwjan < PIE *gneu-), the inf. knía (later knjá)
being an analogicai byform created to the preterite kníði. The author rejects this idea,
partly for chronological reasons. The discussion in sections 2.2-22.2 argues against
the possibility that knjá is an independent cognate of knýja, sharing the root PIE *gen-
‘press, squeeze’ {knjá < PGmc. *knijön or < PGmc. *knewön(lj).
Section 3 introduces the author’s suggestion that Olcel. knjá with the basic meaning
‘investígate’ belongs to the root PIE *gnehr ‘recognize, know’; for the semantíc
connection, cf. two different descendants of the root *gneh3- in Germanic, viz., Olcel.
kunna ‘know’ and Olcel. kanna ‘investigate’. Olcel. knjá may be reconstructed as
PGmc. *knijan, ay-present most closely related to PIE *gnéhyie/o- > PGmc. *knéjan,
cf. OEcnáwan, Olcel. kná, and PIE *gnehyie/o- > OCS znajQ, which indicate “Narten-
type” ablaut. The apparent zero-grade form *knijan can be explained in more than one
way, e.g., the following: (1) an analogical zero-grade form PIE *gnihi-e/o- > PGmc.
*knijan > Olcel. *knía\ comparableto PIE *dhih\-e/o- > MHG dten ‘suckle’ beside
the i'-present *dheh\-i- : *dlih\-i- (with a metathesized *dhih\-)-, (2) the Germanic
creation of *knijan ‘investigate’ beside *knéjan ‘know’ on the model of verb pairs of
the type PGmc. *déjan ‘suckle’ : *dijan ‘id.’ and PGmc. *féjan ‘blame’: *fijan ‘hate’;
(3) a denominative verb PGmc. *knijön, perhaps to a noun *knijö f. ‘investigation’(?).
Heimspekideild Háskóla Islands
Arnagarði við Suðurgötu
101 Reykjavík
gth@rhi.hi.is