ACHA (ÁCHA)

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.

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

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 become (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. ,,

SÁ 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.

SÁ 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/let (describe)

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