Sache German · revision 35189

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈzaxə/, [ˈzäχə]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Sache''' ''f'' (genitive Sache, plural Sachen, diminutive Sächlein n or Sächelchen n)^(Wiktionary)

+ The word was declined strong in the older periods; weak plurals such as ''sachin'' appear from the 15th century (1442), and Luther still has weak singular forms like ''in dieser sachen''.^(DWB|14, 1592)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|sache]], [[inh|goh|sahha]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*saku]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sakō|t=lawsuit, dispute, cause]].^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[osx|saka]], [[non|sǫk]], [[ang|sacu]] and [[ofs|seke]], and in the modern languages [[nl|zaak]], [[en|sake]], [[sv|sak]] and [[is|sök]].^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Pfeifer 1993) A variant stem [[m|gem-pro|*sakjō]] is found in [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌾𐍉|tr=sakjō|t=quarrel]], [[m|ang|sæcc]] and [[m|goh|secka]].^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The noun is formed from a strong verb, [[gem-pro|*sakaną|t=to dispute at law]], seen in [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌰𐌽|tr=sakan]], [[m|ang|sacan]], [[m|osx|sakan]] and [[m|goh|sahhan|t=to go to law, quarrel, scold]], which died out in Middle High German.^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Duden 7 2014|712) That verb stands in ablaut with [[suchen]].^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Duden 7 2014|712) Pfeifer connects the group with [[grc|ἡγέομαι|tr=hēgéomai|t=to lead, believe]] and [[la|sāgiō|t=to perceive keenly]] under the root [[ine-pro|*sāg-|t=to track by scent]], so that the sense would have passed from “follow a trail” through “pursue a culprit” to “bring a charge in court”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ The present general sense comes from a widening of the legal sense, as with [[Ding]], and with [[fr|chose]] from Latin [[m|la|causa]].^(Kluge 2011|780)^(Duden 7 2014|712)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''sahha'' is first recorded in glosses of about 765, and then in the Isidor translation, the Monsee fragments, Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|269) Its senses there already ranged from “matter, thing, possession, state” to “cause, reason” and “charge, guilt”.^(Schützeichel 2012|269)^(Köbler AHD) Old Saxon ''saka'' also meant “court, enmity, guilt”, and Middle High German ''sache'' was above all “dispute, lawsuit”, then “matter, cause, thing”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Lexer 1872|2, 564)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word belonged to the old language of the law, and its meaning grew more and more general, like that of ''Ding''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|712) Paul sees the widening to “business, duty” as partly modelled on Latin ''causa'', and dates it to Old High German.^(Paul 2002) The legal sense is still clear in ''Sachwalter'' (late Middle High German), in the formula ''in Sachen X gegen Y'' (16th century) and in ''Richter in eigener Sache'' (17th century), while the legal sense has faded in ''gemeinsame Sache machen'' (18th century), ''Hauptsache'' and ''Ursache''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|712)

+

+ Pfeifer dates ''sachlich'' “objective” to the 17th century, while the Duden dictionary dates it to the first half of the 18th.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|712) The art movement ''Neue Sachlichkeit'' was named by G. Hartlaub in 1923.^(Pfeifer 1993) In 1922 English took over ''Sachverhalt'' “state of affairs” as a philosophical term,^(LWP) and some Polish dialects and Kashubian borrowed the word as ''zacha''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 1442 – A weak plural ''sachin'' is recorded.^(DWB|14, 1592)

+ * 16th century – The formula ''in Sachen X gegen Y''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''in Sachen'' “concerning” and ''sachlich'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – ''gemeinsame Sache machen'' and ''zur Sache!'' appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''seine sieben Sachen'' “all one's belongings”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

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

+ * 1923 – G. Hartlaub coins ''Neue Sachlichkeit''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|thing]] or object, mostly in the plural: one's things, goods, belongings: ''Er hat seine Sachen im Zug liegen lassen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar, plural)'' [[m|en|clothes]]: ''Zieh dir warme Sachen an!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(law)'' A thing as an object of rights, a piece of [[m|en|property]]: ''bewegliche Sachen'' are movables.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|matter]], affair or business: ''Die Sache mit dem Auto ist noch nicht geklärt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(law)'' A [[m|en|case]] before a court.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # A cause one stands up for: ''für eine gerechte Sache kämpfen''.^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+ # Someone's task or concern: ''Das ist Sache der Eltern.''^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(colloquial, plural)'' Kilometres per hour: ''mit 180 Sachen über die Autobahn''.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sachlich]]

+ * [[Sachlichkeit]]

+ * [[versachlichen]]

+ * [[sächlich]]

+ * [[Sachverhalt]]

+ * [[Sachwalter]]

+ * [[Sachbearbeiter]]

+ * [[Sachbuch]]

+ * [[Hauptsache]]

+ * [[Nebensache]]

+ * [[Tatsache]]

+ * [[Ursache]]

+ * [[Siebensachen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Ding]]

+ * [[Widersacher]]

+ * [[suchen]]

+ * [[en|sake]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Zur Sache kommen'' is to come to the point and ''bei der Sache sein'' to concentrate on something.^(Paul 2002) ''Gemeinsame Sache mit jemandem machen'' is to join someone in a questionable undertaking, and ''seine sieben Sachen'' are all of one's belongings.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}