sprechen German · revision 34873

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gmw-pro *sprekan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʃprɛçən/, [ˈʃpʁɛ-], [ʃprɛ-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sprechen''' (class 4 strong, third-person singular present spricht, past tense sprach, past participle gesprochen, past subjunctive spräche, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|sprechen]], [[inh|goh|sprehhan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sprekan]].^(Kluge 2011|871)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) The same verb is [[osx|sprekan]], [[ofs|spreka]] and [[ang|sprecan]], today [[nl|spreken]].^(Kluge 2011|871)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) It is found only in West Germanic; [[is|spreka]] is a borrowing from Low German.^(DWB|16, 2798)^(Kroonen 2013) Beside it stand forms without /r/: [[m|goh|spehhan]] and [[m|ang|specan]], which prevailed in English [[m|en|speak]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|16, 2798) Pfeifer leaves this variation unexplained;^(Pfeifer 1993) Kroonen derives it from an alternation in the old past tense, or from the influence of a related iterative verb.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ The further origin is uncertain.^(Duden 7 2020|805)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Kluge mentions [[cy|ffraeth|t=witty, sharp-tongued]] and [[sq|shpreh|t=to express, teach]], whose meanings are not close enough, and otherwise suggests an expressive word related to [[non|spraka|t=to crackle]].^(Kluge 2011|871) Pfeifer takes the verb as a sound word, from [[ine-pro|*(s)p(h)ereg-]], an extension of [[ine-pro|*sp(h)er-|t=to jerk, kick]], comparing [[sa|स्फूर्जति|tr=sphū́rjati|t=thunders]], [[grc|σφαραγέομαι|tr=spharagéomai|t=to crackle, hiss]] and [[lt|sprogti|alt=sprógti|t=to burst]].^(Pfeifer 1993) Kroonen sets up [[ine-pro|*sprégʰ-e-]], with [[m|lt|spragėti|t=to crackle]] and [[lv|sprāgt]], and explicitly separates the Sanskrit and Greek words.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''sprehhan'' is first recorded in glosses of about 765, and then in nearly all texts, from Isidor and the Benedictine Rule to Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|307) It meant “to speak, say, talk”, and also “to answer, preach, confess, declare, name”.^(Schützeichel 2012|307)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Talking with someone was expressed with ''mit'' already in Old High German.^(Paul 2002) The accusative of the person, “to have a word with, see someone”, became common in Middle High German: in the ''Nibelungenlied'' Kriemhild ''si sunder sprechen began'' “began to speak with them in private”.^(Paul 2002) Hence ''den Arzt sprechen wollen'' and ''für niemanden zu sprechen sein'';^(Paul 2002) ''nicht gut auf jemanden zu sprechen sein'' (18th century) goes back to the prince who was not in a mood to give audience.^(Paul 2002) A dative of the person, probably after French ''parler'', appears in 1658 and remained mostly poetic.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Among the derivatives, [[entsprechen]] “to correspond” is south-western German from the 16th century, probably after French ''répondre'', and literary from the 18th;^(Duden 7 2020|805) [[besprechen]] has meant “to review” since the 20th century, and in older use also “to heal with charms”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|805) English took ''Sprechstimme'' (1922) and ''Sprechgesang'' (1925) as musical terms.^(LWP) Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian and Ukrainian borrowed it, as in [[pl|szprechać]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''sprehhan'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 8th century – ''bisprehhan'' “to attack, blame” and ''zuosprehhan'' “to talk to” are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 11th century – ''sprehhāri'' “speaker” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''entsprechen'' “to correspond” appears in south-western German.^(Duden 7 2020|805)

+ * 1658 – A dative of the person is used, after French.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1922 – English borrows ''Sprechstimme''.^(LWP)

+ * 1925 – English borrows ''Sprechgesang''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To produce [[m|en|speech]], be able to talk: ''Das Baby lernt gerade sprechen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To speak in a certain way: ''leise sprechen'', ''mit Akzent sprechen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To say, utter: ''kein Wort sprechen'', ''ein Urteil sprechen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To recite: ''ein Gebet sprechen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To speak a language: ''Sprechen Sie Italienisch?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|talk]] about something, give a speech: ''über das Wetter sprechen'', ''vor dem Stadtrat sprechen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To see and talk to someone: ''Kann ich die Direktorin sprechen?''^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(of things)'' To show, express: ''Aus seinen Augen sprach Angst.''^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(Switzerland, officialese)'' To grant, approve funding.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Sprache]]

+ * [[Spruch]]

+ * [[Sprecher]]

+ * [[Gespräch]]

+ * [[Sprichwort]]

+ * [[absprechen]]

+ * [[ansprechen]]

+ * [[aussprechen]]

+ * [[besprechen]]

+ * [[entsprechen]]

+ * [[freisprechen]]

+ * [[versprechen]]

+ * [[widersprechen]]

+ * [[zusprechen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sprachlich]]

+ * [[sprachlos]]

+ * [[en|speak]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Wir sprechen uns noch!'' “you'll be hearing from me” is a threat.^(Paul 2002) ''Für sich selbst sprechen'' is to need no further explanation.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}