vraag

Forms

vraag f (plural vragen, diminutive vraagje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch vrâghe, inherited from Old Dutch *frāga, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *frāgu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *frēgō (“question”).^[1][2] The same noun is Middle Low German vrāge, Old High German frāga (modern German Frage) and Old Frisian frēge.^[3][4][5]

De Vries, Franck–Van Wijk and the Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek treat the noun as belonging to the verb vragen.^[3][4][6] Kroonen sees it the other way round: the noun was formed from the lengthened grade of the strong verb *frehnaną (“to ask”) and was itself the base of the weak verb frāgēn, Old Saxon frāgon.^[2] The strong verb survives in fregnan, Old English frignan and Old Norse fregna, whose ⟨n⟩ first marked the present tense.^[4] The root is Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask”), also found in Latin precor (“to pray”) and prex (“prayer”) and Lithuanian prašýti (“to ask”);^[4][2] Dutch vorsen belongs to the same root.^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch vrage is first recorded about 1240 in a Limburg glossary, where urage translates Latin questio “question”.^[6][7] In 1276 a Brabant text says that Beatrijs asked the question she wished to have answered.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Besides a request for information, Middle Dutch vrage already meant a problem or matter for discussion: in a 14th-century text the speaker tells the queen that her question is too hard for him.^[8] Early modern catechisms and dialogues are built on vraghe and antwoorde, and in 1548 the word names the rhetorical figure of the question, after Latin interrogatio.^[9] In economics vraag is “demand”.^[10][1]

The sense “issue, social problem”, as in de vragen van de dag, is a germanism after German Frage, recorded in dictionaries from the 1950s.^[11][12] The proverb met vragen komt men te Rome, that asking gets one anywhere, goes back to the 16th century, when met vraghen gaetmen verre “by asking one goes far” is recorded.^[13]

Van der Sijs derives Swedish fråga from Dutch or Low German, and the word went into Sranan Tongo (frâg).^[14]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Urage glosses Latin questio in Limburg.^[6]
• 1276 – A Brabant text tells of a question asked by Beatrijs.^[6]
• 1340 – Vraghe in the sense “difficult problem”.^[8]
• 1548 – Interrogatie oft vraghe, the rhetorical question.^[9]
• 1950s – Vraag “issue, problem” after German Frage enters the dictionaries.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A question, something one asks to learn something: mag ik je iets vragen? Ik heb één vraag, may I ask you something? I have one question.^[10][1]
2. A question set as a task, in a test or quiz: een open vraag, a question without suggested answers.^[10]
3. A matter, issue or problem: het is de vraag of …, it is doubtful whether ….^[10][1]
4. (economics) demand for goods and services.^[10][1]

Word family

• vraagteken
• vraagstuk
• vraagbaak
• vraagzin
• vraagstelling
• hamvraag
• strikvraag
• hoofdvraag
• schuldvraag
• prijsvraag

Related words

• navraag
• vragen
• German Frage

Usage notes

Door vragen wordt men wijs, one learns by asking, is found in the 17th century in Vondel, and Cats has met vragen wort men wijs.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
5. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum
6. ^ a b c d e Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 420
8. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ a b Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
11. ^ a b Theissen, Siegfried (1978), Germanismen in het Nederlands, Hasselt
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
13. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)