ACHA (ÁCHA): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:05, 2 April 2026

Auxiliary verb ÁCHA

The Old Frisian syntactic construct aga te (ought to, shall, must) + gerund has been subject of a study published in Aspects of Old Frisian philology.^[1]

The verb was also part of a short discussion between Ahnenerbe and translator Cornelis Duinker in 1938 (see below).

Considering the exceptional use in OL ch. D4 [012/07], the best fitting Dutch translation of the word would be behoren (assumed to be dreived from horen; to hear), which can be used in two ways:

behoren aan: belong to/ be owned by;
behoren te + inf.: ought to + inf.

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

Infinite form is not used, but might have been ÁCHA^[2]/ HAGA (ought to, shall, must): no present-past variety.

(Possibly related: noun ACHT and verb ACHTja.)

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

Cb. Adela’s Advice

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

2. [005/02] AL THISSA TÀLLINGA HAGATH DÉN TO WERTHANDE / tellings ought to become (done)

D4. Frya's Tex

3. [012/07] THJUS ÁGATH WRALDAS GÁST / this belongs to (...)

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

Ea. Burg Laws

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

Ee. Security

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

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

F1c. Useful Precedents

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

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

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

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

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

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

F2. Minerva

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

Gb. Regulations and Penalties

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

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

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

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

L2a. Jon and Minerva

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

O. Afterword

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

R4b. Teachings 2

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

R6b. Along the Rhine

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

S1c. The Black Men

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

S2. A Fleet Arrives

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

S3b. Demetrius and Friso

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

T2b. Yesus of Kashmir

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

U2a. Motherless

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

U3b. Gosa: Purity of Language

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

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

Za. War Games

30. [195/12] THÉRVMBE ÁGON WI TO NJVDANE THAT (...) / we ought to urge

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

1938 discussion Ahnenerbe - Duinker

Sievers → Duinker, 17-10-1938

(...) und vor allem falsch das Präteritopräsens fries. âch, Plur. âgon und Varianten. Ottema übersetzt das fries. Präteritopräsens stets mit behooren im Sinne von nhd. “sich geziemen”. Sie übertragen ständig (die Belege können beigebracht werden) mit “gehören”. In allen einschlägigen Fällen ist fries. âch, âgon und Var. im Nhd. einfach mit “Hat zu, haben zu” und folgendem Infinitiv zu übersetzen. Das ist wortwörtlich und wäre gutes, schlichtes Deutsch. Sie wissen aber offenbar nicht, was das fries. Verb eigentlich bedeutet, und so mühen Sie sich ständig an der holl. Übersetsung mit behooren ab (...)

Duinker → Sievers, 4-11-1938

Bei der Übersetzung der fr. Worte ach und achen mit gehören in der Bedeutung von geziemen, habe ich lange nachgedacht. Mit hat zu oder haben zu‚ wie Sie vorschlagen‚ habe ich mich nicht vereinigen können, denn haben zu ist gleich eines Befehls. Wenn man sagst: ”Sie haben einen Brief zu schreiben”, so ist das ein Befehl, während das achen mehr eine Bitte oder einen Wunsch [2] ausdrückt. Meiner Ansicht nach, könnte man das Wort besser mit möchte übersetzen. Ich werde die Übersetzung daraufhin nochmals durcharbeiten und das gehören durch möchten ersetzen.

Notes

↑ Author: Jelka Schilt; editor: Rolf H. Bremmer (1990, p.391).
↑ either with or without the accent; it is sometimes hardly distinguishable

[1] Author: Jelka Schilt; editor: Rolf H. Bremmer (1990, p.391).

[2] ther with or without the accent; it is sometimes hardly distinguishable

[1]

[2]