Abstract:
According to one of the most well-founded hypotheses, in the Proto-Indo-European
language *sem- meant ‘unus,’ whereas *Hoi̯H- meant ‘solus.’ In this article
arguments for and against this hypothesis are examined in detail. In Proto-Slavic
the reverse distribution is observed: *samъ, indirectly originating from *sem-,
meant ‘solus,’ whereas *edinъ, going back to *Hoi̯H-, meant ‘unus.’ This article is
an attempt to determine how *somHos (> *samъ) ‘idem’ in Proto-Slavic extended its meaning first to ‘ipse’ and then to ‘solus’ and to analyze exactly how it happened.
Although for the Indo-European languages the reverse situation is more common
(‘ipse’ acquires the meaning ‘idem’), a similar pattern for such a shift in meaning
can be found in the history of Ancient Greek αὐτός.
