zahlen German · revision 35322

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century|origins=gem-pro *talō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtsaːln̩/, /ˈtsaːlɛn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: /ˈtsaːlən/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: /ˈtsaːln̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zahlen''' (third-person singular present zahlt, past tense zahlte, past participle gezahlt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|zaln]], [[inh|goh|zalōn|t=to count, reckon, consider]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*talōn]], [[inh|gem-pro|*talōną|t=to count, recount]].^(Kluge 2011|1001)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same verb is [[osx|talon|t=to reckon]], [[ang|talian|t=to count, reckon, consider, relate]] and [[non|tala|t=to speak]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) It was made from the noun [[Zahl]], from [[gem-pro|*talō|t=number; speech]], which also gave [[ang|talu|t=story, account]], the source of [[en|tale]], and [[nl|taal|t=language]].^(Kluge 2011|1001)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) Related to it is [[got|𐍄𐌰𐌻𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=talzjan|t=to teach]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The further origin of the noun is unclear.^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge thinks of the verb seen in [[la|dolō|t=to hew]], with a special sense “to notch”: the first meaning would then have been “notch”, and since people counted and reckoned on notched tally sticks, “number”.^(Kluge 2011|1001) The Duden dictionary takes the same view, starting from the root [[ine-pro|*del-|t=to split, carve]],^(Duden 7 2007) while others connect it with [[grc|δόλος|tr=dólos|t=bait, trick]] and a root meaning “to aim, reckon”.^(Pfeifer 1993) Brøndal, with the same tally sticks in mind, took the noun from a Medieval Latin verb for notching, the source of [[fr|taille]] and [[m|en|tally]].^(Kluge 2011|1001)

+

+ The Grimms' dictionary separates the verb from its twin [[zählen]], from [[m|goh|zellen]]: the older verb meant to tell or set out, while this one started from the arithmetical sense of the noun.^(DWB|31, 44)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Kluge dates the verb to the 9th century.^(Kluge 2011|1001) Old High German ''zalōn'' is found in Notker (about 1000) and in glosses, meaning “to calculate, reckon, think over”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|403)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle High German ''zaln'' meant to count, reckon, enumerate and relate, and was used especially of working on the medieval counting board, the ''zalbret''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|31, 44) Because that board was at the same time where money was counted out, the verb came to mean “to hand over a sum of money”;^(Duden 7 2007)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Duden dates this sense to the 16th century,^(Duden 7 2007)^(Duden GWDS 1999) and Kluge says the verb has been restricted to paying a debt since the 17th century.^(Kluge 2011|1001)

+

+ Adelung (1793) records the verb only of money, and observes that ''zahlen'' and ''zählen'' were probably once only regional variants, but that their meanings were now kept strictly apart; with an object, he says, ''bezahlen'' was more usual.^(Adelung 1793) Derivatives followed the money sense: ''Zahlung'' in the 15th century, ''auszahlen'' in the 15th, ''zahlbar'' in the 18th and ''einzahlen'' in the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993) German ''zahlen'' was borrowed into Czech and Slovak as ''cálovat'' and ''cálovať''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – First record of the Old High German verb.^(Kluge 2011|1001)

+ * c. 1000 – Notker uses ''zalōn'' for “to reckon, think over”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – ''Zahlung'' and ''auszahlen'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – The verb takes on the sense “to hand over a sum of money”.^(Duden 7 2007)

+ * 17th century – The verb is restricted to paying a debt.^(Kluge 2011|1001)

+ * 18th century – The adjective ''zahlbar'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1793 – Adelung records the verb only of money.^(Adelung 1793)

+ * 19th century – ''einzahlen'' “to pay in” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|pay]] a sum of money in return for something: ''Für das gebrauchte Fahrrad hat sie 200 Euro gezahlt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To pay what is due, to settle a [[m|en|debt]] or a regular charge such as rent or tax: ''Wir zahlen die Miete immer am Monatsanfang.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To pay for a thing or a service: ''Die Reparatur zahlt die Versicherung.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To pay, [[m|en|atone]] for something, with ''für'': ''Für seinen Leichtsinn hat er teuer gezahlt.''^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[zahlbar]]

+ * [[Zahlung]]

+ * [[bezahlen]]

+ * [[Zahlmeister]]

+ * [[Zahlschein]]

+ * [[Zahltag]]

+ * [[auszahlen]]

+ * [[einzahlen]]

+ * [[abzahlen]]

+ * [[anzahlen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[zählen]]

+ * [[erzählen]]

+ * [[en|tale]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Old High German and Middle High German used the verb for counting as well, and the two verbs overlapped in meaning; modern usage has separated them again, so that ''zahlen'' is to pay and [[zählen]] to count.^(DWB|31, 44)^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}