helemaal Dutch · revision 37238

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=blend, clipping|attested=1784}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈɦeː.ləˌmaːl/, /ˌɦeː.ləˈmaːl/, /ˈ(ɦ)eː.maːl/, /ˈ(ɦ)eː.məl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''helemaal''' (adverb, invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Older spellings are ''heelemaal'' (1784) and ''heeltemael'' (1692).^(WNT)^(EWN)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is shortened from older ⟨heeltemaal⟩, [[af|nl|heel|te|maal|t1=wholly|t3=time]], a form poorly recorded because it belonged to speech, but which lives on in Afrikaans [[m|af|heeltemal|t=completely]].^(EWN) ⟨Heeltemaal⟩ blends the adverb of degree with the adverbial phrase ⟨te maal⟩ “altogether”, both meaning “wholly, completely” and both much older: the adverb is found in this sense in 1443–1451 and the phrase in 1270–1290.^(EWN)^(WNT)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997) [[allemaal]] was formed in the same way, from ⟨al te male⟩.^(EWN)^(WNT) The fuller ⟨gheheel te mael⟩ is recorded in 1600–1650.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The modern form is first recorded in 1784, in the sentence ''Dan zal de Beer heelemaal los zyn'' “then the bear will be completely loose”.^(WNT)^(Van der Sijs 2001)^(EWN) The older ''heeltemael'' appears in 1692.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, in 1901, called the word very common in speech, with ''heelemaal niet!'' as a strong denial and ''ben je nu heelemaal?'' “are you quite mad?”.^(WNT) Van Sterkenburg takes that question as short for a longer curse such as ''ben je nou helemaal besodemieterd''.^(Van Sterkenburg 2001) In the 1970s the word was used at the end of a question for “actually, at all”, and ''dat is het helemaal'' meant “that's perfect”.^(Reinsma 1975)^(Van Dale 2014) It also means “all the way” and “especially”.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Berbice Dutch took it as ''helemali'' “completely”.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1270–1290 – Middle Dutch ''te male'' “wholly” in a moral text.^(EWN)

+ * 1443–1451 – ''Heel'' “wholly” as an adverb.^(EWN)

+ * 1600–1650 – ''Gheheel te mael'' “totally”.^(EWN)

+ * 1692 – ''Heeltemael'' is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1784 – ''Heelemaal'', the modern form.^(WNT)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1970 – ''Dat is het helemaal'' “that's perfect”.^(Reinsma 1975)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|completely]], entirely, totally: ''de taart is helemaal op''.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # All the way, the whole way: ''ze fietste helemaal naar Utrecht''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # Especially, even more so.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' At the end of a question: actually, at all.^(Reinsma 1975)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[heel]]

+ * [[maal]]

+ * [[allemaal]]

+ * [[helegaar]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Helemaal niet'' is an emphatic “not at all”.^(WNT)^(Wiktionary) ''Ben je nou helemaal?'' expresses surprise or indignation, and ''er helemaal uit zijn'' means to have lost touch with something.^(Van Dale 2014) The more colloquial ''helegaar'', mostly used with a negative, is recorded as ''heel en gaer'' in 1621; it is either ''heel'' and ''gaar'', after German ''ganz und gar'', or shortened from ''heel te gader'' on the model of ''helemaal''.^(EWN)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}