Etymologically
Log in

parler

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 04:42. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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
  • 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