wjele

Lower Sorbian

Alternative forms
  • ẃele (obsolete)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-, possibly through Proto-Slavic *velьjь (“great”).[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈvʲɛlɛ/, [ˈvʲelə]; /ˈjɛlɛ/, [ˈjelə]

Determiner

wjele (indeclinable, comparative wěcej)

  1. many
    z wjele słowami ― with many words
  2. how many?
    z wjele kónimi? ― with how many horses?

Antonyms

Pronoun

wjele

  1. much, many
    wjele źěła ― much work, lots of work
    Wjelim njejo znate až, […] ― Many people do not know that […] (literally, To many it is not known that)
  2. how much?, how many?
    na wjele? ― how many times?
    po wjelim? ― how many at once? how much at once?
    Wjele to płaśi?
    How much does that cost?
    Wjele bratšow a sotšow maš?
    How many brothers and sisters do you have?
    Wjele cośo jerjegow?
    How many herrings do you want?

Usage notes

As a determiner, wjele is invariable; the noun it modifies is always plural is in whatever case is appropriate to its role in the sentence. As a pronoun, wjele may be followed by a noun in the genitive case, which may be either singular or plural, in which case it is invariable; or it may stand alone, in which case it is declinable.

Declension
Declension of wjele
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative — — wjele
Genitive — — wjelich
Dative — — wjelim
Accusative — — wjele
Instrumental — — wjele
Locative — — wjelimi
  • Optional animate accusative form: wjelich

References
  1. Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia. (1999). Poland: Ksie̦garnia Akademicka, p. 34

Further reading
  • Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928), “ẃele”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
  • Starosta, Manfred (1999), “wjele”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
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