Etymologically
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Vorstellung

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃtɛlʊŋ/[1]

Forms

Vorstellung f (genitive Vorstellung, plural Vorstellungen)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from German vorstellen (“to put in front; to present; to imagine”) + -ung, as a noun of action matching the senses of the verb.[1][2][3] That verb combines vor with stellen, Middle High German stellen, Old High German stellen (“to set up, place”), recorded from the 8th century.[4][5] Kluge takes the simple verb as a denominative from Stall in its old sense “standing place”, from Proto-Germanic *stalla-, or as a causative of a root Proto-Indo-European *stel- not otherwise found in Germanic.[4][6] If that noun belongs to the root of stehen, the verb can only be a denominative.[6][7]

The Grimms' dictionary records the older form Fürstellung, and notes that Danish forestilling was modelled on the German word.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The German Wiktionary dates the noun to around 1600, Paul to the 17th century.[2][3] Early uses refer to bringing someone before a court, as in Ayrer's legal work of 1600, which speaks of what should happen vor der vorstellung of the witnesses.[8] Stieler (1691) glosses it with Latin demonstratio, editio and significatio, and in common use installatio.[8]

Semantic evolution

The noun first followed the verb's senses of presenting someone: introducing a person to another, installing a preacher or official, presenting witnesses in court and officers at a muster.[8] It also named the staging of a play, as in Lohenstein (1689), Lessing and Goethe, and remonstrances or written petitions to an authority, as in Leibniz and Lessing;[8][3] jemandem Vorstellungen machen “to remonstrate with someone” continues this.[8][3]

The sense “mental image, idea”, which became the commonest, prevailed only in the 18th century and was then taken into the technical language of philosophy, losing the verbal sense.[8] Christian Wolff writes of the vorstellungen der seele in 1720, and dictionaries of the time equate it with Latin repraesentatio.[8] Vorstellungsart was a favourite word of Goethe's.[3] English borrowed the word as a philosophical term in 1807–1808.[9]

Timeline

  • Around 1600 – First records of Vorstellung.[2][8]
  • 1677 – Christian Weise uses it of installing a new council.[8]
  • 1689 – Lohenstein uses it of the staging of a play.[8]
  • 1720 – Christian Wolff writes of the vorstellungen der seele.[8]
  • 1796 – Goethe speaks of his “realistic Vorstellungsart” in a letter.[3]
  • 1807–1808 – English Vorstellung “idea, mental image” is first recorded.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An introduction, making someone or something known: Nach der Vorstellung der neuen Kollegin begann die Sitzung.[10][1]
  2. Presenting oneself for a job, an interview: Sie wurde zur Vorstellung in die Zentrale eingeladen.[10]
  3. An idea, a picture in the mind: Er hatte eine ganz falsche Vorstellung von dem Beruf.[10][1]
  4. imagination, fancy: Das gibt es nur in deiner Vorstellung.[10]
  5. A performance of a play, a screening of a film: Die Vorstellung beginnt um acht.[10][1]
  6. (formal, usually plural) An objection, a remonstrance: jemandem Vorstellungen machen.[10][3]

Word family

  • Vorstellungskraft
  • Vorstellungsvermögen
  • Vorstellungsgespräch
  • Wahnvorstellung
  • Zwangsvorstellung
  • Wunschvorstellung

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  4. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 881
  5. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  6. ^ a b Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 8, 1038
  7. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 26, 1688
  9. ^ a b Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
  10. ^ a b c d e f Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag