sprecan

From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.

sprecan

1. to speak

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• anasprecan
• bisprecan

• Middle Dutch: sprēken
  • Dutch: spreken
  • Limburgish: spraeke

• “sprekan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

• spreocan, spræcan, specan (later form)

From Proto-West Germanic *sprekan.

• IPA^(key): /ˈspre.kɑn/

sprecan

1. to speak, talk
   • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

     Saga mē, hwylc man ǣrest wǣre wið hund sprecende?

     Tell me, who was the first man that spake with a dog?

   • c. 890s, The Voyage of Ohthere and Wulfstan

     Þā Finnas, him þūhte, and þā Beormas sprǣcon nēah ān ġeþēode.

     The Sami, it seemed to him, and the Bjarmians spoke almost the same language.

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, John 4:27

     His leornungcneohtas wundrodon þæt hē wiþ wīf spræc, þēah heora nān ne cwæþ "Hwæt sēcst þū?" oþþe "Hwæt spricst þū wiþ hīe?"

     His disciples were amazed that he was talking to a woman, though none of them said "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking to her?"

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Paul the Apostle"

     Petrus āna spræc for ealne þone hēap.

     Peter by himself spoke for the whole group.

2. to answer
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "De libro regum"

     Clypiað git hluddor uncuð þeah þe he slæpe⁠ þæt he huru aƿacnige and eoƿ ƿið spræce

     'Cry ye yet louder, peradventure he sleepeth, that he may at least awaken and answer unto you.'

• To talk to or with someone was expressed using tō + dative or wiþ + accusative, not with mid.

• mǣlan
• maþelian
• reordian
• clipian
• cweþan
• cwiddian

• besprecan
• forsprecan
• forþsprecan
• ġesprecan
• missprecan
• ofersprecan
• spreca
• wiþsprecan

• sprǣċ

• Middle English: speken
  • English: speak
  • Scots: speke, speik