Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/govorъ

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 Proto-Balto-Slavic *gawaras, from Proto-Indo-European *gowH-oro-s, from *g⁽ʷ⁾ewH- (“to call, name”). Cognate with Latvian gaura (“chatter”). Cognate with Sanskrit जोगुवे (jóguve, “to call, to invoke”), Ancient Greek γόος (góos, “wailing, weeping”).

Noun

*gȍvorъ m

1. (originally) prattle, grumble

   Synonyms: *rъpъtъ, *bъltanьje

2. (eventually) vocalization, utterance
3. (abstract) talk, speech

   Synonym: *rěčь

4. (by extension) vernacular (style of talking)

Alternative forms

• *gavorъ
  • ⇒ Polish: gaworzyć
• *govora f (ā-stem)
• *govorь f (i-stem), *govori f (ī-stem)

Declension

Declension of *gȍvorъ (hard o-stem, accent paradigm c)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*gȍvorъ	*gȍvora	*gȍvori
Accusative	*gȍvorъ	*gȍvora	*gȍvory
Genitive	*gȍvora	*govorù	*govòrъ
Locative	*gȍvorě	*govorù	*govorě̃xъ
Dative	*gȍvoru	*govoromà	*govoròmъ
Instrumental	*gȍvorъmь, *gȍvoromь*	*govoromà	*govorý
Vocative	*govore	*gȍvora	*gȍvori

^* -ъmь in North Slavic, -omь in South Slavic.

In Ukrainian, Slovincian:

Declension of *gȍvorъ (u-stem, accent paradigm c)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*gȍvorъ	*gȍvory	*gȍvorove
Accusative	*gȍvorъ	*gȍvory	*gȍvory
Genitive	*gȍvoru	*govorovù	*govoròvъ
Locative	*govorú	*govorovù	*gȍvorъxъ
Dative	*gȍvorovi	*govorъmà	*gȍvorъmъ
Instrumental	*gȍvorъmь	*govorъmà	*govorъmì
Vocative	*govoru	*gȍvory	*gȍvorove

Derived terms

Verbs:

• *govorìti (“to talk, to speak”)
• *govorъkati (“to chatter, to mumble”)

Nouns:

• *dogovorъ (“contract, agreement”)
• *jьzgovorъ (“pronunciation”)
• *nagovorъ (“verbal dispute, slander”), *nagovorъka (“chitter-chatter”)
• *pergovorъ (“negotiation”)
• *pоgovorъ, *pоgovorъka (“proverb, saying”)
• *prigovorъ (“objection, verdict”)
• *progovorъ (“utterance”)
• *ogovorъ (“slander”) (East Slavic)
• *otъgovorъ (“response”)
• *orzgovorъ (“conversation”)
• *sъgovorъ (“concord”)
• *ugovorъ, *ugovorъka (“agreement”)
• *vygovorъ (“rebuke”)
• *zagovorъ (“conspiracy, complot”)

Adjectives:

• *govorьnъ, *govorьskъ (“related to speech, vocalization”)

Related terms

• *gavьra (“ridicule, mockery”)
• *gvarъ, *gvara (“vernacular, idiom”)
• *gutorъ (“talk, discussion”)
• *gǫsti, *gǫděti (“to make noise, to drone, to play music”)
• *žugati, *žuxati (“to drone, to hum, to creak”) (possibly)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: говоръ (govorŭ)
    • Belarusian: го́вар (hóvar) (dialectal)
      • ⇒ Belarusian: гаво́рка (havórka) (standard)
    • Russian: го́вор (góvor); гово́ра f (govóra) (dialectal)
    • Ukrainian: го́вір (hóvir) (u-stem); гово́р (hovór) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic: говоръ (govorŭ, “prattle, grumble”)
  • Bulgarian: го́вор (góvor)
  • Macedonian: говор (govor)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic: го̏во̄р

    Latin: gȍvōr

    • Chakavian (Vrgada): gȍvor
    • Chakavian (Orbanići): gȍvor
  • Slovene: gôvor (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: hovor
    • Czech: hovor
  • Old Polish: gowor
  • Slovak: hovor
  • Slovincian: govår (u-stem)

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), “говор”, in Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Oleg Trubachyov, Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1980), “*govorъ/*govora”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), volume 7 (*golvačь – *gyžati), Moscow: Nauka, page 76
• Georgiev V. I., editor (1971), “говор”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1, Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, page 258