𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (talzjan), a weak verb of class 1.^[1][2][3] The recorded verb forms are 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌹 (talzidai), 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌸 (talzjaiþ), 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 (talzjandans) and 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (talzjands).^[4] The present participle used as a noun, "teacher", occurs only in the vocative 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳 (talzjand).^[5]

Etymology

Wiktionary gives the origin as unknown, possibly related to Proto-Germanic *talō (“narration, telling”);^[6] Köbler also calls it obscure and perhaps related to that noun.^[4] Feist, Uhlenbeck and Lehmann take it as a denominative verb from an unattested s-stem noun;^[7][8][9] the other Germanic languages have other formations of the root, such as Old Norse tal (“talk, list”) and Old English tæl (“tale, number”).^[9][7] Uhlenbeck relates that noun to the second part of 𐌿𐌽𐍄𐌰𐌻𐍃 (untals, “undisciplined”).^[8] Grienberger sees in the -z- a comparative suffix, so that the verb would first have meant "to make more learned".^[10] Lehmann derives the root from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to aim, compute”), with Ancient Greek δόλος (dólos, “wile, bait”), and suggests a development from "lay snares" through "talk persuasively" to "instruct";^[9] Feist also compares the Greek word and Latin dolus (“cunning”) but calls further comparisons uncertain.^[7] Holthausen calls the word obscure.^[11]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 17 tokens (8 of them ambiguous), in Luke (the vocative talzjand, six times), in 2 Corinthians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy, in manuscripts CA, A and B; the first is Luke 5:5.^[12] Köbler counts seven records of the verb itself.^[4] In the Epistles it renders Ancient Greek νουθετέω (nouthetéō, “to admonish”) five times and Ancient Greek παιδεύω (paideúō, “to train, discipline”) twice;^[13] talzjand renders Ancient Greek ἐπιστάτης (epistátēs, “master”).^[9][14] Luke 5:5 reads talzjand alla naht þairharbaidjandans waiht ni nemum, "master, toiling all night we took nothing".^[15]

Meanings

1. To teach, instruct, discipline; for παιδεύω.^[2][16][13]
2. To admonish, warn; for νουθετέω.^[16][13]
3. The present participle as a noun: teacher, master; for ἐπιστάτης.^[9][17][18]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gatalzjan, “to teach”)
• 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (talzeins, “instruction”)

References

1. ^ Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. talzjan
2. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 150
3. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. talzjan
5. ^ Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 78
6. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽
7. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. talzjan
8. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 145
9. ^ a b c d e Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. *talzjan
10. ^ Grienberger, Theodor von (1900), Untersuchungen zur gotischen Wortkunde, Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, phil.-hist. Classe 142, Wien
11. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 106
12. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
13. ^ a b c Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
14. ^ Schulze, Ernst (1848), Gothisches Glossar, mit einer Vorrede von Jacob Grimm, Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen
15. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Lk 5:5
16. ^ a b Balg, G. H. (1887–1889), A Comparative Glossary of the Gothic Language, with Especial Reference to English and German, Mayville, Wis.: the author, p. 428
17. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1868), A Moeso-Gothic Glossary, with an Introduction, an Outline of Moeso-Gothic Grammar, and a List of Anglo-Saxon and Old and Modern English Words Etymologically Connected with Moeso-Gothic, London: Asher
18. ^ Stamm, Friedrich Ludwig; Heyne, Moriz (1920), Ulfilas oder die uns erhaltenen Denkmäler der gotischen Sprache: Text, Wörterbuch und Grammatik, 13th–14th ed. by Ferdinand Wrede, Paderborn: Schöningh, p. 471