Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xala

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 1

Per Snoj and Trubačev, from Proto-Indo-European *ksōleh₂, *ksōlyeh₂, perhaps an action/resultant noun of *xalati (“to wear out, to rag”) +‎ *-a or substantivized from the l-participle of Proto-Slavic *xati (“to stagger, to reel; to be concerned”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to mow”). Trubačev further identifies this term with Etymology 2.

Noun

*xàla f

1. something torn, shattered, worn-out
2. (via specialization) cheap cloth, rag

Alternative forms

• *xalь (i-stem), *xaľa (jā-stem, in South Slavic)

Declension

Declension of *xala (hard a-stem, accent paradigm a)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xala	*xàlě	*xàly
genitive	*xàly	*xàlu	*xàlъ
dative	*xàlě	*xàlama	*xàlamъ
accusative	*xàlǫ	*xàlě	*xàly
instrumental	*xàlojǫ, *xàlǭ**	*xàlama	*xàlamī
locative	*xàlě	*xàlu	*xàlasъ, *xàlaxъ*
vocative	*xàlo	*xàlě	*xàly

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** 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).

Derived terms

• *xalina, *xalica, *xalъka
• >? *xalǫga, *xaliga (“scrub, hedge, bundle”)
• >? *xalupa (“cottage”)

Related terms

• *xalъkъ, *xalovъ (“crummy, intrusive; insolent, quarrelsome (for person)”)
  • *naxalъ, *xalujь (“insolent person”)
  • >? *xalъda (“bounder, slob”)
• >? *xalostь (“vanity, futility”)
• *xalavъ, *xalovitъ (“avid, insatiable”) (possibly)
• *xoliti (“to tend, to care for”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic
  • Belarusian: халь f (xalʹ, “rag”)
  • Russian: хальё (xalʹjó, “old dress”) (dialectal)
    • ⇒ Russian: хал (xal), ха́ловщина (xálovščina, “junk, worthless stuff”)
• South Slavic:
  • >? Bulgarian: ха́лище (hálište, “rough fabric, mat”)
  • >? Macedonian: алишта pl (ališta, “clothing”)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ха̏ља, ха̀љина

    Latin script: hȁlja, hàljina

  • Slovene: hálja (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: chała (dialectal)
    • ⇒ Polish: chalka, halka (“overgarment”)
  • Pomeranian:
    • Kashubian: chałë pl (“rags”)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “хал”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “*xala/*xalъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 8 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 12

Etymology 2

Unclear. Several proposed etymologies exist:

• Based on sense “hail, blizzard, tempest”:
  • Borrowed origin: According to Iv. Georgieva, from some dialectal form of Ancient Greek χάλαζα (khálaza, “hail”), likely cognate with Proto-Slavic *želdъ (“sleet”).
  • Native grammatical origin: Per Brückner, related to *xalěpa (“bad weather”) (of disputed origin), *xoľavъ (“murky, muddy”). Possibly akin to Etymology 1 + Proto-Slavic *xoliti (“to indulge, to behave”) and further to Lithuanian skaláuti (“to rinse”).
• Based on sense “typhon, calamity”:
  • Native or borrowed expressive origin: Per M. Bjeletić, from *xaliti, *xalěti (“to bash, to strike”) +‎ *-a or from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō, “to wreck havoc, to slacken”) (whence Bulgarian хало́сам (halósam, “to smack”)).
  • Onomatopoeic origin: Per Iljinsky, possibly akin to semi-onomatopoeic *šalъ (“intemperate, naughty”), *šaliti (“to play pranks, to infuriate”). Favoured by Trubačev and Meljničuk (ESSJa).
  • Substantivized origin: Perhaps from a substantivization of *xalavъ (“insatiable, gluttonous”), *xalъkъ (“insolent”), related to the above hypothesis.
• Based on sense “dragon” in Serbian and Macedonian:
  • Recent borrowing from Ottoman Turkish: According to early Serbo-Croatian philologists, South Slavic term has developed from Ottoman Turkish آلا (ala, “spotted, variegated”), euphemistic for ییلان (yılan, “snake”). Correspondances in other branches are presumably coincidental. Disputed on phonetical basis by Trubačev, Brückner, and some Serbo-Croatian linguists.

Skok does not exclude contamination of various sources.

Noun

*xala f

1. (Slavic mythology) tempest, blizzard, hail-bringer depicted as a serpentine or ichthyoid monster, as a stormy nebula, or personified as a witch

   Synonyms: *xmara, *vila

Declension

Declension of *xala (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xala	*xalě	*xaly
genitive	*xaly	*xalu	*xalъ
dative	*xalě	*xalama	*xalamъ
accusative	*xalǫ	*xalě	*xaly
instrumental	*xalojǫ, *xalǫ**	*xalama	*xalami
locative	*xalě	*xalu	*xalasъ, *xalaxъ*
vocative	*xalo	*xalě	*xaly

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** 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).

Derived terms

• *xalętina, *xališče, *xalina (augmentative)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • ⇒ Russian: халаве́й (xalavéj, “gale, high wind; fig. empty-headed person”) (dialectal) (< *xala +‎ *vějь)
• South Slavic:
  • Bulgarian: ха́ла (hála)
  • >? Macedonian: ала (ala)
  • >? Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: а́ла, ха́ла

    Latin script: ála, hála

• West Slavic:
  • >? Czech: chala, ochala (“tall man, giant”) (dialectal)
  • >? Slovincian: χała (“large creature”)

• Non-Slavic:
  • → Romanian: hală (“mythical being, monster”) (regional)

Further reading

• Skok, Petar (1971) “(h)ala”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 650