λαλέω

Forms

λᾰλέω (laléō) ^[1]

Etymology

It is an onomatopoeic formation built on a sound like that of Latin lallō (“to sing a lullaby”), Lithuanian lalúoti and German lallen (“to babble”), with the ending of other verbs of sound such as κελαδέω (keladéō), βομβέω (bombéō) and σμαραγέω (smaragéō).^[2][1][3] Wiktionary also mentions a possible reduplicated form of Proto-Indo-European *leh₂-.^[1]

The ancient grammarian Philoxenus derived it from λῶ (lô, “to want”) with reduplication, as the voicing of what one wants.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first common in Attic comedy of the 5th century BC, for chatter and idle talk.^[5][6][3] GLAUx lists earlier sayings attributed to Pittacus and the Seven Sages.^[7]

Semantic evolution

In classical Attic λαλεῖν was to chat, prattle or talk informally, and was set against λέγειν, to speak properly: Eupolis calls a man “best at chattering, most incapable of speaking”.^[5][8][6] Theocritus uses it for the chirping of grasshoppers and birds and for a musician “speaking” on his pipe, and Philemon of the swallow's twitter.^[6][5] A saying of Simonides called painting silent poetry and poetry “painting that speaks”.^[5]

From Aristotle on the word lost its slighting tone and became a plain synonym of λέγω, “to speak”, very common in the Septuagint and the New Testament.^[5][8][6] Medieval Greek used it for speaking and discussing.^[9] In Modern Greek λαλώ (laló) is said of birds, of the cock that crows or the partridge that calls, and of people, “to speak”; a proverb says that “where many cocks crow, the dawn is slow to come”.^[10] Beekes notes a Modern Greek sense “to drive” cattle, properly “to talk them into going”.^[2]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Eupolis and Aristophanes use it for chatter as opposed to proper speech.^[5][6][11]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it simply for speaking.^[5][11]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theocritus uses it for the chirping of grasshoppers and birds.^[6][11]
• 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it as an ordinary verb of speaking.^[8]
• Modern Greek – λαλώ is used of birds singing or crowing and of people speaking.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To chat, talk informally.^[6][5]
2. To prattle, babble.^[6][5]
3. Of grasshoppers and birds, to chirp; of a musician, to “speak” on an instrument.^[6]
4. (later Greek) To speak, say; transitively, to speak words.^[5][6][8]
5. (passive) To be talked about.^[6][5]

Word family

• διαλαλέω (dialaléō)
• ἐκλαλέω (eklaléō)
• καταλαλέω (katalaléō)
• παραλαλέω (paralaléō)
• περιλαλέω (perilaléō)
• προσλαλέω (proslaléō)
• συλλαλέω (sullaléō)
• ἀπολαλέω (apolaléō)
• ἐλλαλέω (ellaléō)
• ὑπερλαλέω (huperlaléō)
• ὑπολαλέω (hupolaléō)

Related words

• ἀλάλητος (alálētos)
• λαλαγέω (lalagéō)
• λαλαγή (lalagḗ)
• λαλάζω (lalázō)
• λάλαξ (lálax)
• λάλη (lálē)
• λάλημα (lálēma)
• λάλησις (lálēsis)
• λαλητικός (lalētikós)
• λαλιά (laliā́)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ Etygram: ancient etymologies of Greek words, CEPAM, Université Côte d'Azur, http://appsweb-cepam.unice.fr/etygram
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c d Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
9. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
10. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
11. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge