vielleicht German · revision 34995

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=12th century, Middle High German}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fiˈlaɪ̯çt/, [fiˈlaɪ̯çt]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vielleicht'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Frisch wanted the word written with one ''l'', deriving it from the suffix ''-icht'', and Gottsched wrote ''vieleicht''.^(Adelung 1793)^(DWB|26, 236) Adelung rejected this, pointing to the stress on the second syllable.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vil līhte|t=very easily]], a phrase of [[m|gmh|vil|t=much, very]] and [[m|gmh|līhte|t=easily]], later written as one word.^(Kluge 2011|960)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary DE)^(DWB|26, 236) The same compound is found in [[nds|villicht]], [[nl|wellicht]] and [[stq|fielicht]], beside [[dum|veellicht]].^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|26, 236)

+

+ The first part is [[viel]], from [[goh|filu]] and [[gem-pro|*felu-]], related to [[got|𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿|tr=filu]], [[grc|πολύς|tr=polús|t=much]] and [[sa|पुरु|tr=purú|t=much]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|3, 228) The second is the adverb of [[leicht]], [[goh|līhti]], related to [[got|𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃|tr=leihts]] and [[la|levis|t=light]].^(Kluge 2011|569)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''vil līhte'' is recorded from the 12th century, and Kluge finds the modern meaning there from the start.^(Kluge 2011|960) The Grimms' dictionary notes that the phrase also meant “very easily, without difficulty”, and that the older language still felt the link with ''leicht'', so that it expressed a confident expectation or fear more than a mere possibility.^(DWB|26, 236)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle High German and older New High German, ''līhte'' on its own also meant “perhaps”.^(DWB|26, 236) Because the stress lies on the second syllable, the vowel of the first was weakened, the connection with ''viel'' was no longer felt, and dialect forms even show the prefix ''ver-'' in its place.^(DWB|26, 236) The German Wiktionary dates the spelling as one word to the 15th century.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ Beside the sense “perhaps” the word came to mean “about, roughly” before numbers.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE) As an unstressed particle it gives emphasis to exclamations, makes a command sound impatient or threatening, marks a question that expects the answer “no”, and softens a polite request.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) Pfeifer gives the meanings “possibly, perhaps, about” and “kindly” in requests.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 12th century – Middle High German ''vil līhte'' is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|960)

+ * 15th century – The phrase begins to be written as one word.^(Wiktionary DE)

+ * 1540 – Alberus's dictionary glosses ''vileicht'' with Latin ''forte''.^(DWB|26, 236)

+ * 1793 – Braun's orthographical dictionary prescribes ''vielleicht, nicht vieleicht''.^(DWB|26, 236)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|perhaps]], [[m|en|maybe]], possibly: ''Vielleicht regnet es morgen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # About, roughly, [[m|en|approximately]], before a number: ''ein Mann von vielleicht sechzig Jahren''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ===Particle===

+ # ''(colloquial)'' In exclamations, stresses how great something is: ''Das war vielleicht ein Schreck!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # At the start of a command, adds an impatient or [[m|en|threatening]] tone: ''Vielleicht hörst du jetzt mal zu!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # In a yes–no question, shows that the speaker expects the answer “no”: ''Ist das vielleicht meine Schuld?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # In polite questions, takes the place of ''bitte'': ''Könnten Sie vielleicht das Fenster schließen?''^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[viel]]

+ * [[leicht]]

+ * [[nl|wellicht]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}