Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sprāku

This Proto-West Germanic 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From *sprākī (“talkative; speaking”) +‎ *-u.

Noun

*sprāku f

1. speech, language

Inflection

u-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*sprāku
Genitive	*sprākō
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*sprāku	*sprākiwi, *sprākō
Accusative	*sprāku	*sprākū
Genitive	*sprākō	*sprākiwō
Dative	*sprākiwi, *sprākō	*sprākum
Instrumental	*sprāku	*sprākum

Alternative reconstructions

• *sprākkijā

Derived terms

• *sprākēn
• *sprākulaus

Related terms

• *spruki

Descendants

• Old English: sprǣċ, spǣċ
  • Middle English: speche, speke, spech, spetch, spæc, spæch, speeche
    • English: speech
    • Scots: spech, spek
• Old Frisian: *sprāke, sprēke, sprēze, sprētze
  • North Frisian: spriik, spräke (but Sylt Spraak < Low German)
  • Saterland Frisian: Sproake (possibly borrowed)
  • West Frisian: spraak (possibly borrowed)
• Old Saxon: sprāka
  • Middle Low German: sprâke
    • German Low German: Sprake, Spraak
    • → Danish: sprog
      • → Icelandic: sprok
    • →⇒ Faroese: spráka
    • → Norwegian: språk
    • → Old Swedish: sprak
      • Swedish: språk
• Old Dutch: *sprāka
  • Middle Dutch: sprake
    • Dutch: spraak, (obsolete) sprake, spraeke
      • Afrikaans: spraak
• Old High German: sprāhha, sprācha
  • Middle High German: sprāche
    • Alemannic German: Sproch

      Swabian: Schbroach

    • Bavarian: Sproch
    • Central Franconian:

      Hunsrik: Sproch

      Kölsch: Sprooch

      Luxembourgish: Sprooch

    • East Central German:

      Erzgebirgisch: Schprohch

      Vilamovian: śpröch

    • East Franconian:
    • German: Sprache
    • Rhine Franconian:

      Pennsylvania German: Schprooch

      Pfälzisch: Sproch

    • Yiddish: שפּראַך (shprakh)