viel German · revision 35417

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century|origins=ine-pro *pleh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fiːl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''viel''' (comparative ''mehr'', superlative ''am meisten'')^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vil]], [[inh|goh|filu]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*felu]], [[inh|gem-pro|*felu]].^(Kluge 2011|959)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[got|𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿|tr=filu]], [[non|fjǫl-]] (only in compounds), [[ang|fela]], [[osx|filu]] and Dutch [[m|nl|veel]].^(Kluge 2011|959)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) The adverb is the neuter of a u-stem adjective of which Germanic kept only remains, and it was at first a noun “a great amount”, taking a genitive.^(Kluge 2011|959)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Outside Germanic it matches [[grc|πολύς|tr=polús|t=much]], [[sga|il|t=much]] and, with another formation, [[la|plūs|t=more]].^(Kluge 2011|959)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The adjective was [[ine-pro|*pélh₁us]], from the root [[ine-pro|*pleh₁-|t=to fill]], so that its first meaning was “filling”; [[voll]], [[Fülle]] and [[füllen]] go back to the same root.^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary)^(Kluge 2011|959)^(Duden 7 2020) Kroonen explains the vowel difference between the Greek and Gothic words by an ablauting paradigm, and finds the zero grade preserved in [[ofs|fule]] and Dutch dialect ⟨veul⟩.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''filu'' is found from the 8th century, used as a noun “much, great” and as an adverb “very, much, quite”.^(EWA|3, 228)^(Schützeichel 2012|102) It often takes a genitive, as in Otfrid's ''filu manno'' “many men”, and once in the Hildebrandslied it stands for a dative: ''miti … sinero degano filu'' “with many of his warriors”.^(EWA|3, 228)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the old language the thing counted stood in the genitive: Middle High German ''vil goldes'' “much gold”, ''vil liute'' “many people”, and Luther still wrote ''viel Volks''.^(Paul 2002) Remnants last into modern times, as Lessing's ''viel Glücks'', and above all in ''viel Aufhebens machen'' “to make a great fuss”.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) With nominatives and accusatives ''viel'' became an indefinite pronoun or numeral (''viel Geld''), with verbs an adverb (''viel arbeiten''), and finally it took adjective endings (''viele Leute'', ''vielen Dank'').^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Derivatives include [[vielfach]] and [[vielfältig]] (15th century), [[vielerlei]] (16th century) and [[Vielfalt]], a back-formation of the late 18th century from ''vielfältig'', coined in contrast to ''Einfalt''.^(Pfeifer 1993) [[vielleicht]] “perhaps” is Middle High German ''vil līhte'' “very easily, probably”, and [[vielmehr]] “rather” was joined together in the 15th century from Middle High German ''vil mēre'' “to a still higher degree”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''filu'' is first recorded.^(Kluge 2011|959)^(EWA|3, 228)

+ * 15th century – ''vielfach'', ''vielfältig'' and ''vielmehr'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''vielerlei'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Late 18th century – ''Vielfalt'' is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|much]], [[m|en|many]]: a large amount or number of something (''viel Geld'', ''viele Leute'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Vieles'': many different things (''er weiß vieles'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # A lot, much (''viel arbeiten'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|often]].^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # With a comparative: much, far.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vielleicht]]

+ * [[vielerlei]]

+ * [[vielfach]]

+ * [[vielfältig]]

+ * [[Vielfalt]]

+ * [[vielmehr]]

+ * [[vielmals]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[voll]]

+ * [[Fülle]]

+ * [[füllen]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}