Fernsehen German · revision 36270

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound, calque|attested=late 19th century}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfɛʁnˌzeːn/, [ˈfɛɐ̯nˌzeːn], /ˈfɛʁnˌseːn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [ˈfɛʁnˌzeːn]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: [ˈfɛɐ̯n-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Fernsehen''' ''n'' (genitive Fernsehens, no plural)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound [[af|de|fern|sehen|t1=far|t2=to see]], formed at the end of the 19th century.^(Duden 7 2007)^(Wiktionary) Duden counts its first element among the many technical words whose first element renders the international element of Greek origin seen in [[Television]].^(Duden 7 2007) Kluge and the German edition of Wiktionary see it as a translation of [[en|television]], Pfeifer allows for the influence of the English word, and the English edition calls it a calque of [[fr|télévision]].^(Kluge 2011|288)^(Wiktionary DE)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The English word is itself a hybrid of [[grc|τῆλε|tr=tēle|t=far]] and [[la|vīsiō|t=sight]].^(Kluge 2011|912)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Duden dates the noun to the end of the 19th century, but notes that it became generally known only with the technical development of the 20th century.^(Duden 7 2007) Kluge adds that in Germany the word was at first used only in technical language.^(Kluge 2011|288)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A verb ''fernsehen'' already existed in the 17th century in the sense “to look ahead”, and ''Fernseher'' was then one of the German words proposed for the Dutch telescope, ''verrekijker''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|288) The modern verb “to watch television” belongs to the first half of the 20th century, perhaps modelled on ''fernsprechen'' “to telephone” (after 1920); Duden dates it to the middle of the century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007) ''Fernseher'' was used for the set as early as 1905 and now also means a viewer.^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ From the technique the noun passed to the medium, the broadcasting companies, the programmes and, in colloquial use, the set itself.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 17th century – ''fernsehen'' “to look ahead”, and ''Fernseher'' “telescope”, are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|288)

+ * Late 19th century – ''Fernsehen'' is coined.^(Duden 7 2007)

+ * 1905 – ''Fernseher'' names a device.^(Duden 7 2007)

+ * 20th century – The word becomes generally known;^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''fernsehen'' takes the sense “to watch television”.^(Duden 7 2007)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|television]]: the transmission of moving pictures, usually with sound, received on a screen.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Television as a [[Massenmedium|alt=mass medium]]: ''Damals gab es noch kein Fernsehen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # The television [[m|en|broadcaster|alt=broadcasters]] of a country or region: ''Ihr Bruder arbeitet beim Fernsehen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Television programmes: ''Heute Abend kommt ein Krimi im Fernsehen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A television set.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fernsehen]]

+ * [[Fernseher]]

+ * [[Fernsehgerät]]

+ * [[Fernsehsendung]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fern]]

+ * [[sehen]]

+ * [[Fernsprecher]]

+ * [[en|television]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}