Person German · revision 35048

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=12th century, Middle High German|origins=la persōna}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /pɛrˈzoːn/, [pɛɐ̯ˈzoːn], [pɛʁˈzoːn]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Person''' ''f'' (genitive Person, plural Personen, diminutive Persönchen n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|persōne]], [[bor|la|persōna|t=mask of an actor; role, character; person]].^(Kluge 2011|694)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|627) Kluge dates the loan to the 12th century, the Duden to the 13th.^(Kluge 2011|694)^(Duden 7 2014|627) The same Latin word gave [[nl|persoon]], [[en|person]], [[fr|personne]], [[sv|person]] and [[is|persóna]].^(Kluge 2011|694)

+

+ The origin of the Latin noun is disputed.^(Kluge 2011|694) The Duden considers a borrowing from Etruscan, comparing [[ett|phersu|t=mask]];^(Duden 7 2014|627) Wahrig, Köbler and the Grimms derive it from [[m|la|persōnō|t=to sound through]], from [[m|la|per|t=through]] and [[m|la|sonō|t=to sound]], because the voice sounded through the mouth of the mask,^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Köbler MHD)^(DWB|13, 1561) an explanation that has been strongly contested.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''persōne'' is found from the ''Antichrist'' poem of about 1160–1180 and then in Meister Eckhart, Tauler and legal charters;^(Köbler MHD) ''persōn'' appears in Konrad of Megenberg's ''Buch der Natur'' (1348/50).^(Köbler MHD) It meant a person, a human individual, and also figure or appearance, and in theology a person of the Trinity.^(Köbler MHD)^(FWB)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Latin sense “role in a play” came into German only in the 16th century, through translations of Latin comedies: Hans Sachs writes of plays ''mit dreien personen'' “with three characters”, and the sense was still alive in the 18th century in Goethe and Schiller.^(DWB|13, 1561)^(Paul 2002) The sense “figure, stature” is already Middle High German, and survives in phrases like ''klein von Person'' “small of stature” (Luther, Luke 19:3) and ''jemanden von Person kennen'' “to know someone by sight”.^(Paul 2002)^(Adelung 1793) Under French influence ''in Person'' (French ''en personne'') came into use.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The commonest use is for a human individual of either sex, as opposed to a thing; the legal ''juristische Person'' is a fictitious individual.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) From the beginning of the 18th century, after French ''personne'', the word was also used of a woman, mostly disparagingly.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2014|627) The Latin grammarians' sense “person of the verb” was taken over in the 15th century, and Gueintz and Schottelius established ''erste, zweite, dritte Person'' in 1641.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The Duden notes that ''Unperson'', a person deliberately ignored, comes from English ''unperson'', coined in Orwell's ''1984'', translated into German in 1950.^(Duden 7 2014|627)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1160–1180 – Middle High German ''persōne'' in the ''Antichrist'' poem.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1348/50 – ''persōn'' in Konrad of Megenberg's ''Buch der Natur''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 15th century – The grammatical sense “person of the verb” is taken over;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''persönlich'' is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – The sense “role, character in a play” enters German through translations of Latin comedies.^(DWB|13, 1561)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1641 – Gueintz and Schottelius use ''erste, zweite, dritte Person'' as grammatical terms.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Early 18th century – ''Person'' is used, mostly disparagingly, of a woman, after French ''personne''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1950 – ''Unperson'' comes in with the German translation of Orwell's ''1984''.^(Duden 7 2014|627)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|person]], a human being as an [[m|en|individual]]: ''Der Eintritt kostet fünf Euro pro Person.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A person considered with regard to outward, physical qualities.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # A [[m|en|character]] in a play, novel or film.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(law)'' A bearer of rights and duties: ''natürliche Person'', ''juristische Person'' (a corporate body).^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(grammar)'' A category of the verb and the pronoun: ''die erste Person Singular''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(emotive, often derogatory)'' A woman or girl.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[personal]]

+ * [[personell]]

+ * [[persönlich]]

+ * [[Persönlichkeit]]

+ * [[Personal]]

+ * [[personifizieren]]

+ * [[Unperson]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|person]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Ich für meine Person'' “as for me” goes back to Luther, and ''in Person'' means “personally”;^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''etwas in Person sein'' is to be the embodiment of something (''die Geduld in Person'').^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}