*sprāku

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *sprāku "speech, language" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1] Ringe and Taylor set up *sprāki or *sprākiju "speech" behind the Old English word,^[2] and EWA West Germanic *sprākō-.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sprēkō (“speech”),^[4][3][5] which Kroonen cites as *sprēkō- and derives from the verb *sprekan- "to speak".^[4] Bammesberger counts *sprēk-ō-, the source of Old High German sprāhha, among the ō-stems formed to the Proto-Germanic root of Old English sprecan (“to speak”).^[6] Berr calls the Old Saxon word an abstract noun formed from the past tense of Old Saxon sprekan.^[7] In Old English the West Germanic *sprāki or *sprākiju became *sprǣċi or *sprǣċju, and then West Saxon Old English sprǣċ and Northumbrian sprēċ.^[2]

Morphology

A feminine noun.^[4] Old English sprǣc is a jō-stem,^[8] Old High German sprāhha an ō-stem,^[3] and Old Saxon sprāka is found both as an ō-stem and as an n-stem.^[9] Boutkan takes the by-forms Old Frisian sprētze, sprēze and sprētse to point to a former jō-stem, whose j caused the assibilation.^[10]

Evidence

The word is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English sprǣc, Old Frisian sprēke, Old Saxon sprāka, Old Dutch sprāka and Old High German sprāhha.^[11][3] In Old Dutch, ONW records it in the Old Central and Old Low Franconian psalms of the 10th century and in the North-East Lower Rhenish Prudentius glosses of 951–1000.^[12] Old Saxon has it in the Heliand and the Genesis.^[9] Old English also has spǣc, beside the verb specan,^[13] and Kroonen lists both forms.^[4]

Competing analyses

Wiktionary derives *sprāku from the adjective *sprākī (“talkative, speaking”) with the suffix *-u.^[1] Kroonen, EWA and Köbler instead take the noun back to *sprēkō-, an ō-stem;^[4][3] Köbler also sets up *sprēkjō.^[5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct an i-stem or ija-stem for Old English and Old Frisian, and hold that Old Saxon sprāka and Old High German sprāhha have either been shifted into the ō-stems or are a different type of derivative.^[2] For Proto-Frisian, Boutkan sets up *sprēk(j)i.^[10]

Meanings

1. speech^[2][1]
2. language^[1]

Old English also used the word for "talk, conversation", "eloquence" and "judgement",^[8] Old Frisian for "accusation" and "legal claim",^[14] and Old High German for "conversation", "deliberation" and "story".^[3]

Derivatives

• *sprākēn "to converse, to speak to", which Wiktionary reconstructs from *sprāku;^[15] Old High German has sprāhhēn (“to speak, to address”), formed to sprāhha.^[16]
• *sprākulaus "speechless", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[17] Old High German has sprāhhalōs (“speechless, mute”).^[18]

Reflexes

• Old English: sprǣc (“speech, language, talk, conversation, judgement”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: sprēke (“speech, accusation, legal claim”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: sprāka (“language, speech, conversation”)^[7][9]
• Old Dutch: sprāka (“speech”)^[12]
• Old High German: sprāhha (“language, speech, statement, conversation”)^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sprāku
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 209
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. sprâcha
4. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 469
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sprēkō
6. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 110
7. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 374
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sprǣc
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sprāka
10. ^ a b Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. spreke
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sprēke
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. sprāka
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spǣc
14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sprēke
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sprākēn
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sprāhhēn
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sprākulaus
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sprāhhalōs