Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xvala

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

Unknown. Several explanations are proposed:

• Back-formation from *xvaliti (see there)
• Related with Old Norse skval (“noisy talk”), skvala (“to squeal, bawl out”), suggesting Proto-Indo-European *skwel(H)- (“to speak loudly, to celebrate”)
• Borrowed from Iranian, ultimately from Proto-Iranian *huHarnā́h, compare Younger Avestan 𐬓𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬵 n (xᵛar^ənah, “glory”)

Less likely from *slava (“fame”) with metathesis *slava > *svala > *xvala (according to some scholars, influenced by opposition *xula (“disgrace, shame”)); from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to smolder, to burn”); related with Hittite [script needed] (wallu-, “to praise”).

Noun

*xvālà f

1. fame, glory

   Synonym: *slava

Declension

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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*xvālà	*xvãlě	*xvālỳ
genitive	*xvālỳ	*xvālù	*xvãlъ
dative	*xvālě̀	*xvālàma	*xvālàmъ
accusative	*xvālǫ̀	*xvãlě	*xvālỳ
instrumental	*xvālòjǫ, *xvãlǫ**	*xvālàma	*xvālàmī
locative	*xvālě̀	*xvālù	*xvālàsъ, *xvālàxъ*
vocative	*xvalo	*xvãlě	*xvālỳ

^* -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).

Related terms

• *xvaliti

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: хвала (xvala)
    • Old Ruthenian: хвала́ (xvalá), фала́ (falá)
      • Belarusian: хвала́ (xvalá)
      • Ukrainian: хвала́ (xvalá)
    • Russian: хвала́ (xvalá)
• South Slavic
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: хвала (xvala)

    Glagolitic script: ⱈⰲⰰⰾⰰ (xvala)

  • Bulgarian: хвала (hvala)
  • Macedonian: фала (fala)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: хва́ла

    Latin script: hvála

  • Slovene: hvála (tonal orthography)
  • → Hungarian: hála
  • → Romanian: fală
• West Slavic
  • Old Czech: chvála
    • Czech: chvála
  • Kashubian: chwała
  • Old Polish: chwała
    • Polish: chwała
  • Slovak: chvála
  • Slovincian: chwola
  • Sorbian

    Lower Sorbian: chwała

    Upper Sorbian: khwała

Further reading

• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “хвала”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volumes 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 335
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “хвала”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “chwała”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN, page 72
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “chwała”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego, page 90
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “chwała”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), volume 163
• Havlová, Eva, editor (1990), “chvala”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka staroslověnského [Etymological Dictionary of the Old Church Slavonic Language] (in Czech), numbers 2 (blagъ – dělo), Prague: Academia, →ISBN, page 231
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “хвала”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “hvala”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar [Slovenian Etymology Dictionary] (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si
• В. В. Мартынов (1981) “Балто-славяно-иранские языковые отношения и глоттогенез славян: slava – xvala 'выражение благодарности'.”, in Балто-славянские исследования. 1980., Moscow: Nauka, page 25