28 May 2019

Auxiliary verb ÁCHA

The Old Frisian syntactic construct aga te (ought to, shall, must) + gerund has been subject of a study by Jelka Schilt, published in Aspects of Old Frisian philology (1990, p.391), edited by Rolf H. Bremmer et al. I intend to discuss this study, after an inventory of the use of this construct in the Oera Linda-book (not only in the samples).

Considering the exceptional use in 2d. [012/07], the best fitting Dutch translation of the word would be 'behoren' (allegedly dreived from 'horen'; to hear), which can be used in two ways:
1) 'behoren aan': belong to/ be owned by;
2) 'behoren te + inf.': ought to + inf.

Note the similarity with ÁGON - eyes, HÁCH - high.

Infinite form is not used, but might have been ÁCHA*/ HAGA (ought to, shall, must): no present-past variety.
* either with or without the accent; it is sometimes hardly distinguishable
singular:
IK/ ER ÁCH (10x)/ ER ÁGATH (1x)
THV ACHST(-E/-V) (4x)
plural:
WI/ HJA AGON (8x)/ ACHON (3x)/ HAGON (2x)/ HJA HAGATH (1x)
J HAGATH/ AGHAT (both only one)

The verb ÁCHA is used 31 times, once as a main verb and 30 times as an auxiliary verb, twice of the latter in combination with more than one main verb (fragments 20: 2 and 26: 3). The number of main verbs supported by ÁCHA, therefore, is 33.

Exceptional uses, in order frequency:

1) Verb ACHA
  • 1/31 fragment 3 (Frya's Tex): as main verb, meaning 'belong to'.
  • 1/31 fragment 4 (Frya's Tex): spelling -GH- (AGHAT); -AT instead of -ATH is also unusual..
  • 4/31 fragments 1, 2 (Adela), 20a (Helpers Adela), 21 (Primal Teachings): verb starts with H- (2x HAGATH, 2x HAGON).
  • 4/31 fragments 1, 2 (Adela), 3, 4 (Frya's Tex): conjugation ending -ath (1x -at), both for plural and singular.
  • 3/13 fragments 7 (Laws 1), 18, (Laws 2), 25 (Liudgert 1): plural form ending -ON is spelled with -CH-: ACHON; the more common form is (H)AGON.

2) Supported main verb
  • 1/33 fragment 9 (Minno): without 'TO': MÀN ACH WÉIZARJA. (In fragment 20b. LÉTA also lacks 'TO', but borrows from 20a. TO TELLA.)
  • 5/33 fragments 9 (Minno), 16, 18 (Laws 2), 20a, 20b (Helpers Adela): verb does not end with -NDE (found 7x), -NA (found 4x) or -NE (found 17x), rather it is a basic infinitive: WÉIZARJA, SÉKA, FORMYDA, TELLA, LÉTA.
The verbs more than once supported by ACHA are:
  • TO LÉTA(NE) (4x), 
  • TO WÉRANE/-A (3x) and 
  • TO NVDANDE/ NJODANE/ NJVDANE (3x.)

Fragments in the Oera Linda-book

1. [004/26] 1b. Adela
SA HAGATH J TO NVDANDE THAT (...) / you [formal or plural] ought to urge

2. [005/02] 1b
AL THISSA TÀLLINGA HAGATH DÉN TO WERTHANDE / tellings ought to be done

3. [012/07] 2d. Frya's Tex
THJUS ÁGATH WRALDAS GÁST / this belongs to (...)

4. [013/12] 2d.
ALSA AGHAT J TO HELPANE HJAM / you [formal or plural] ought to help

5. [018/10] 3a. Laws 1
SA ÁCH HJU THAM BY STONDA TO JÉWANE / she ought to give

6. [025/18] 3c3. ,,
SA ACH THA MÉNA MÉNTA (...) THAT WITHER TO HÉLÉNA / community ought to repair

7. [025/27] 3c3.
BY THA FÉSTUM ACHON HJA FORÁNA TO SITTANA / they ought to sit

8. [029/29] 4c1. Minno
SA ACH MAN THÀT RÉDER ÀFTERWÉJA TO LÉTANE / one ought to leave/let

9. [030/06] 4c1.
SA ACH MÀN THAT WÉIZARJA / one ought (to) refuse


10. [030/18] 4c1.
SA ACH MAN ALLÉNA ALDVLKERA TO KJASANE / one ought to choose/elect

11. [030/23] 4c1.
SA AGON THA ÔRA THAT TO WÉRANE / others ought to repel

12. [030/31] 4c1. ,,
AGON WY MITH HASTE HÉI TO TO SLANA / we ought to strike

13.[030/32] 4c1.
AFSKÉN WI ÉLLA AGON TO DVANDE / we ought to do

14. [037/14] 4d. ,,
THÉRVMBE ACHSTV TO BIJINNANDE / you ought to begin

15. [041/10] 5a2. Laws 2
THÉRVMBE ÁCH MÀN TO WÉRANA THÀM / one ought to repel

16. [041/13] 5a2.
JAHWÉDER JONG KERDEL ÁCH EN BRUD TO SÉKA / youngh-man ought to seek

17. [041/18] 5a2.
ACH EK MAN HIM UT SIN HUS TO WÉRANE / man ought to repel

18. [041/20] 5a2.
THA KNÁPA ACHON HIN TO FORMYDA / boys ought to avoid

19. [070/27] 9b. Walhallagara
THA AFTERKVMAND AGON TO WÉTANE THAT (...) / later generations ought to know

20a/b. [087/15] 11c. Helpers Adela
THA FÁMNA HAGON THAM NÉI HJARA WÍSA TO TELLA ÀND WEL BISKRIVE LÉTA / maidens ought to narrate and (to) have described

21. [101/18] 13c2. Primal Teachings
ALSA HÁGON THA FÁMNA HJAM FON BUTA TO LÉRANDE / maidens ought to teach

22. [111/22] 13e2. Apollonia
HO THA MÀNNISKA AN THÉRE MINNE AGON TO LÉVANE / men ought to live

23. [118/03] 14b. Frethorik
THÀN ÁCHSTE SPOD TO MÁKJANDE / you ought to make

24. [119/23] 14c. ,,
NW WI N MODER HÀVE AGON WI HJRA RÉD TO FRÉJANDE / we ought to ask

25. [128/20] 14d2. Liudgert 1
WI ACHON AL FLJUCHTANDE TO FJUCHTANE / we ought to flee

26a/b/c. [137/15] 15b2. Dela a.k.a. Hellenia
THÀT MÀN THÉR IN ÁCH TO DELVANE TO ERANE ÀND TO SÉJANE / one ought to dig, (to) plow and (to) sow

27. [144/30] 16b1. Konered
VMBE (...) ÁCH IK DUBBEL TO WAKANE THAT (...) / I ought to beware

28. [161/08] 16c. Gosa
ALSA ACHST THV (...) NÉN ÔRE TÁLE OVIR THINA WÉRA NI KVMA TO LÉTANE / you ought to let come

29. [161/11] 16c.
THÀN ACHST THV TO NJODANE TILTHJU (...) / you ought to urge

30. [195/12] 19a. unknown abt. Askar
THÉRVMBE ÁGON WI TO NJVDANE THAT (...) / we ought to urge

31. [197/16] 19a.
ALSA ÁGON THA KNÁPA (...) ÀFTERWÉIN TO LÉTANE / young-men ought to leave/let

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