fragen German · revision 35192

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfʁaːɡən/, [ˈfʁaːɡŋ̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fragen''' (weak or mixed, third-person singular present fragt or (dialectal or colloquial) frägt, past tense fragte or (dialectal or colloquial) frug, past participle gefragt, past subjunctive fragte or (dialectal or colloquial) früge, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ From the 18th century strong forms such as the past ''frug'' spread from Low German.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+ Middle High German and the dialects into the 20th century also had a by-form ''vregen''.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vrāgen]], [[inh|goh|frāgēn]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*frāgēn]].^(Wiktionary)^(Kluge 2011|313) The same verb is [[osx|frāgon]], [[ofs|frēgia]] and [[nl|vragen]].^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Wiktionary)^(DWB2|9, 862) Though better attested than the noun, the verb is derived from [[Frage]], [[goh|frāga]];^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) the noun, found only in German and Dutch, is a lengthened-grade abstract of a Germanic strong verb that has died out in German.^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ That verb is [[gem-pro|*fregnaną]], seen in [[got|𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌽|tr=fraihnan]], [[non|fregna]] and [[ang|frignan]], and in Old High German only in [[m|goh|gafregin|t=I learned]] in the Wessobrunn Prayer.^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|4, 49) It goes back to [[ine-pro|*preḱ-|t=to ask]], also found in [[la|precor|t=I pray, entreat]], [[lt|piršti|alt=pir̃šti|t=to ask for a girl's hand for someone]] and [[cu|просити|tr=prositi|t=to ask for]].^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Pfeifer 1993) The same root, with another suffix, gives [[forschen]].^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''frāgēn'' is recorded from the 8th century;^(Kluge 2011|313)^(Pfeifer 1993) the Old High German Isidor (end of the 8th century) has ''dher unchilaubo fraghet'' “the unbeliever asks”.^(DWB2|9, 862) It meant to ask, question, examine and investigate, and with ''nāh'' or ''bī'' “to ask after”.^(Schützeichel 2012|112)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle High German ''vrāgen'' also meant “to ask for, request” and “to interrogate”;^(Köbler MHD) the judicial use survived in ''peinlich fragen'', to question under torture, which Adelung still records.^(Adelung 1793) Luther's ''wer viel fragt, wird ungenem'' (1527) “whoever asks much becomes unwelcome” is quoted in the revised Grimm dictionary.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+

+ [[Fragezeichen]] is a 16th-century translation of Latin ''signum interrogationis''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007) [[fraglich]] “questionable” appears at the beginning of the 17th century but became usual only in the 19th,^(Pfeifer 1993) and [[fragwürdig]] was formed around 1800 after English ''questionable'', first meaning “worth asking about”, later “doubtful, suspect”.^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – First record of ''frāgēn''.^(Kluge 2011|313)

+ * End of the 8th century – The Old High German Isidor uses the verb.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+ * 1527 – Luther: ''wer viel fragt, wird ungenem''.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+ * 16th century – ''Fragezeichen'' is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Early 17th century – ''fraglich'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – Strong forms such as ''frug'' spread from Low German.^(DWB2|9, 862)

+ * c. 1800 – ''fragwürdig'' is formed after English ''questionable''.^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|ask]]: to address someone expecting an answer or information: ''Sie fragte ihn nach dem Weg.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To ask questions: ''Er fragt immer sehr genau.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(fragen nach)'' To [[m|en|inquire]] about someone or something: ''Hat jemand nach mir gefragt?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(fragen nach, usually negated)'' To care about: ''Niemand fragte nach den alten Nachbarn.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(sich fragen)'' To [[m|en|wonder]]: ''Ich frage mich, ob das stimmt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fragwürdig]]

+ * [[fraglich]]

+ * [[abfragen]]

+ * [[anfragen]]

+ * [[ausfragen]]

+ * [[befragen]]

+ * [[durchfragen]]

+ * [[erfragen]]

+ * [[herumfragen]]

+ * [[hinterfragen]]

+ * [[nachfragen]]

+ * [[Umfrage]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Frage]]

+ * [[forschen]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Beside the weak forms (''fragte'', ''gefragt''), colloquial and regional German has strong ones: ''frägt'', ''frug'', ''früge''.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Duden's large dictionary quotes ''frug'' from Büchner and Storm.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}