parler

Pronunciation

• IPA: /paʁ.le/^[1]

Forms

parler^[1] Old French parlier (10th century), paroler, parler.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French parler, inherited from Late Latin parabolāre, a verb of Church Latin (7th century) derived from parabola, which in the Gospel sense “parable of Christ”, then “word of Christ”, gave parabole and parole.^[4][5][6][2] The verb developed in the same way: “to express by metaphor”, then “to express in words”, “to converse”, “to agree on something” and “to plead one's cause”.^[4] “Parabola” is from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”).^[1]

It eliminated Classical Latin loquor (“to speak”); another familiar verb, fābulor (“to chat”), won in the Iberian Peninsula: Spanish hablar, Portuguese falar.^[4][6] Cognate with Italian parlare and Old Occitan parlar.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The perfect parla is found in the Jonas fragment (937–952).^[7] In the Vie de saint Léger (second half of the 10th century) it means “to use the articulate sounds of human language”: Léger, his tongue cut out, hor a perdud don deu parlier “has now lost the gift of speech”.^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

From the first records parler meant “to use language to express one's thought”, and at the end of the 10th century “to make one's will known by a speech”.^[4][7] About 1100 it meant “to express oneself” (Ben set parler “he can speak well”), and in 1174–76 “to confer with someone”.^[7] Phrases include parler haut (about 1283, figuratively “to speak with authority”), parler du nez (1606) and généralement parlant (Descartes, 1641).^[4][8][7] The infinitive became a noun, le parler “speech, way of speaking”, about 1155, and in linguistics “a local form of speech” in 1665.^[2][9]

The derivative parlement (about 1080) meant “conversation”; from the 13th century it named judicial assemblies, and in Anglo-Norman from 1275 the English legislative assembly, which became English parliament.^[6] Haut-parleur (about 1925) is a calque of English loudspeaker.^[6]

Timeline

• 937–952 – Parla in the Jonas fragment.^[7]
• 2nd half of 10th century – “To speak” in the Vie de saint Léger.^[7]
• c. 1080 – Parlement “conversation”.^[6]
• c. 1155 – The noun parler.^[2]
• 1275 – Parlement for the English assembly, in Anglo-Norman.^[6]
• 1606 – Parler du nez.^[8]
• 1665 – Parler “local speech”.^[9]
• c. 1925 – Haut-parleur.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To speak, to talk: to use articulate speech: l'enfant apprend à parler.^[1][9]
2. To speak (a language): parler anglais.^[1]
3. Parler de: to talk about, parler à: to talk to, to converse with.^[7][9]
4. To make a speech, to express one's will: l'orateur a parlé.^[7]
5. (heraldry) To cant, of arms that pun on the bearer's name.^[1]

Noun

1. A way of speaking: son parler avait quelque chose de rude.^[9]
2. (linguistics) A local form of speech, a dialect: les parlers régionaux.^[9][1]

Word family

• parleur
• parloir
• parlote
• reparler
• parlement
• franc-parler
• haut-parleur

Related words

• parlotte
• parole
• bavarder
• discuter
• jacasser
• jaser
• parabole
• Latin parabola

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 606a
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert