welcher German · revision 34915

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 765, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *hwalīkaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈvɛlçər/, [ˈvɛl.çɐ], [ˈvɛʎ-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''welcher''' (interrogative, relative and indefinite pronoun; feminine ''welche'', neuter ''welches''; uninflected ''welch'' in exclamations)^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|welich]], [[inh|goh|welīh]], [[inh|gem-pro|*hwalīkaz|t=of what form]], a compound of the pronominal stem of [[wer]] and [[gem-pro|*līką|t=body, form]], the word of [[Leiche]] and the suffix [[-lich]].^(Kluge 2011|981)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) It meant “having what shape”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The German form, with umlaut from /a/, matches [[ofs|hwelik]] and Middle Dutch [[m|dum|welc]], while a form with /i/ appears in [[got|𐍈𐌹𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃|tr=ƕileiks|t=what kind of]], [[non|hvílíkr]], [[ang|hwilc]], [[osx|hwilīk]] and Middle High German [[m|gmh|wilich]].^(Kluge 2011|981)^(Pfeifer 1993) The English cognate is [[m|en|which]], and Swedish has [[m|sv|vilken]].^(Kluge 2011|981)^(Duden 7 2020) The same pattern of formation is seen in [[solch]] and [[gleich]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''welīh'' is recorded from glosses of about 765, and then in the Hildebrandslied, Isidor, the Muspilli, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|378) It asked “which, what kind of”, and as an indefinite pronoun meant “any” and, with a genitive plural, “each”.^(Schützeichel 2012|378)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The generalising relative ''sō welīh sō'' “whoever” was contracted to ''swelich'' in the 11th century, Middle High German ''swelch''.^(Pfeifer 1993) The plain relative ''welcher'', first found in Middle Dutch of the 13th and 14th centuries, passed into Middle Low German and in the 15th century into High German, where the language of law and chancery spread it;^(Pfeifer 1993) it has since largely given way to the relative use of the article ''der''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 11th century – The generalising relative ''swelich'' is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – The relative pronoun ''welcher'' is taken into High German from Low German.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(interrogative)'' [[m|en|which]], what: ''Welches Buch liest du?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(formal, in exclamations and dependent clauses)'' What a, what: ''Welch ein Zufall!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(relative, less common)'' Who, which, that, in place of ''der'', ''die'', ''das''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(indefinite)'' [[m|en|some]], any, standing for a noun already mentioned: ''Ich brauche Briefmarken, hast du welche?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[irgendwelcher]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wer]]

+ * [[solch]]

+ * [[gleich]]

+ * [[Leiche]]

+ * [[en|which]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}