tel French · revision 17188

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=938–950, Jonas fragment (tels)|origins=la tālis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tɛl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''tel''' (feminine telle, masculine plural tels, feminine plural telles)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''tiel'', ''tal'', ''tel''; plural ''tels'', ''tex'', ''teus''.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|tālis|t=of such a kind, such]], a demonstrative of quality used in correlation with [[m|la|quālis]] (see [[quel]]).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|13/1, 55a) Rey notes that “tālis” contains the Indo-European demonstrative stem “t-”, as in [[grc|τό|tr=tó]] and [[got|𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰|tr=þata]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|tale]], [[pro|tal]], [[ca|tal]], [[es|tal]] and [[pt|tal]].^(REW 1935)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Jonas fragment (938–950) has ''tels eleemosynas'' “such alms” followed by a consecutive ''qe''; the ''Vie de saint Léger'' (second half of the 10th century) uses ''tal'' as a demonstrative.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old French ''tel'' was used alone before a noun, as still in proverbs (''tel père, tel fils'') and set phrases, ''un tel'' later became general.^(DHLF 1992) The ''Chanson de Roland'' has it as a pronoun standing for a person, ''Tel as ocis'', whence ''un tel'' for an unnamed person (1604) and ''Monsieur Untel''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)^(BHVF) ''Tel quel'' (1226) first meant “just as”, then “middling, poor” (1460), and finally “unchanged, as it is”.^(DHLF 1992) ''Tel que'' with the subjunctive once had the concessive sense of modern ''quel que'' (about 1560).^(DHLF 1992) Its derivative ''tellement'' dates from the 12th century; in familiar French it means “very, so much” in negative sentences: ''pas tellement''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 938–950 – ''Tels'', Jonas fragment.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 980 – ''Tal'', ''Vie de saint Léger''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – As a pronoun, ''Chanson de Roland''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+ * 12th century – ''Tellement''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1226 – ''Tel quel''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1604 – ''Un tel''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|such]], like this, of this kind: ''de tels propos'', ''rien de tel'', ''tel est mon avis''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # So great, such: ''une telle peur que''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Tel que'': like, such as; as: ''des fruits tels que les pommes'', ''tel quel'', as it is, unchanged.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # Like, as (in comparisons): ''tel un oiseau'', ''tel père, tel fils''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # A certain, some: ''à tel endroit, à telle heure''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(literary)'' Someone, one: ''tel est pris qui croyait prendre'', ''un tel'', ''Monsieur Untel'', so-and-so.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tellement]]

+ * [[untel]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[quel]]

+ * [[la|tālis]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}