Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъlviti

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

From *mъ̀lva +‎ *-iti; or continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *múlˀwīˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥wH-éye-ti, from *mlewH-. Cognate with Sanskrit ब्रवीति (brávīti, “to say”), Avestan 𐬨𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (mraoⁱti, “to say”). Per Chernykh, some linguists link the root to Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song, melody”).

Verb

*mъlviti

1. to speak, to say

Inflection

Conjugation of *mъlviti, *mъlvi, *mъlvitь (?, -i-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*mъlvľenьje	*mъlviti	*mъlvitъ	*mъlvilъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*mъlvľenъ	*mъlvimъ
Active	*mъlvľь	*mъlvę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mъlvixъ	*mъlvi	*mъlvi	*mъlvľǫ	*mъlviši	*mъlvitь
Dual	*mъlvixově	*mъlvista	*mъlviste	*mъlvivě	*mъlvita	*mъlvite
Plural	*mъlvixomъ	*mъlviste	*mъlvišę	*mъlvimъ	*mъlvite	*mъlvętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mъlvľaaxъ	*mъlvľaaše	*mъlvľaaše	—	*mъlvi	*mъlvi
Dual	*mъlvľaaxově	*mъlvľaašeta	*mъlvľaašete	*mъlvivě	*mъlvita	—
Plural	*mъlvľaaxomъ	*mъlvľaašete	*mъlvľaaxǫ	*mъlvimъ	*mъlvite	—

Notes:
• (*)*mъlvivъ is a later doublet of the past active participle

Related terms

• *mъlva (“speech”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: мълвити (mŭlviti)
    • Old Ruthenian: мовити (moviti), мо́вить (móvitʹ), мо́лвити (mólviti) — archaic form
      • Belarusian: мо́віць (móvicʹ), мо́виць (móvicʹ), мо́вицьца (móvicʹca)
      • Carpathian Rusyn: мо́вити (móvyty)
      • Ukrainian: мо́вити (móvyty)
    • Russian: мо́лвить (mólvitʹ) (archaic, poetic or dialectal)
  • Old Novgorodian: мълвити (mŭlviti), молвити (molviti)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: млъвити (mlŭviti)

    Glagolitic: ⰿⰾⱏⰲⰻⱅⰻ (mlŭviti)

    • → Serbo-Croatian:

      Cyrillic script: мувити (rare, literary, archaic)

      Latin script: muviti (rare, literary, archaic)

  • Bulgarian: мълвя́ (mǎlvjá)
  • Slovene: mółviti (tonal orthography) (obsolete)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: mluviti
    • Czech: mluvit
  • Kashubian:
  • Old Polish: mówić, mołwić
    • Polish: mówić, mówieć (Middle Polish)
    • Silesian: mōwić
  • Slovak: mluviť (Kálal's dictionary)
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: mówic
    • Slovincian: môwjic
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: mołwić, mołwjeć
    • Lower Sorbian: mołwiś

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “мо́лвить”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 538
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “молва́”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1994), “*mъlviti”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 20 (*morzatъjь – *mъrsknǫti), Moscow: Nauka, →ISBN, page 227