ACHA (ÁCHA)

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    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[1]/ 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 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. ,,

    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 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

    Notes

    1. either with or without the accent; it is sometimes hardly distinguishable