Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/rěčь

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 lengthened grade *rěk- of *reťi +‎ *-ь.

Noun

*rě̑čь f

1. speech

Inflection

Declension of *rě̑čь (i-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*rě̑čь	*rě̑či	*rě̑či
genitive	*rěčí	*rěčьjù, *rěču*	*rěčь̀jь
dative	*rě̑či	*rěčьmà	*rě̑čьmъ
accusative	*rě̑čь	*rě̑či	*rě̑či
instrumental	*rěčьjǫ́	*rěčьmà	*rěčьmì
locative	*rěčí	*rěčьjù, *rěču*	*rě̑čьxъ
vocative	*rěči	*rě̑či	*rě̑či

^* The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: рѣчь (rěčĭ, “speech, request”)
    • Belarusian: рэч (reč, “thing”)
    • Russian: речь (rečʹ, “speech, conversation, word”)
    • Ukrainian: річ (rič, “thing, matter, language”)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: рѣчь (rěčĭ)

    Glagolitic script: ⱃⱑⱍⱐ (rěčĭ)

  • Bulgarian: реч (reč)
  • Macedonian: реч (reč)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ре̑ч

    Latin script: rȇč

  • Slovene: rẹ̑č (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: řěč
    • Czech: řeč
  • Old Polish: rzecz
    • Polish: rzecz
    • Silesian: rzecz
  • Slovak: reč
  • Polabian:
    • Klennow: rec
    • Lüchow: reč
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: rzecz
    • Slovincian: rzêcz
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: rěč
    • Lower Sorbian: rěc

References

• Derksen, Rick (2008) “*rě̑čь”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 434
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “речь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress