ѧзꙑкъ

See also: языкъ, ѩзꙑкъ, and ꙗзꙑкъ

Old East Slavic

Alternative forms

• ꙗзꙑкъ (jazykŭ)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *(j)ęzykъ (“tongue, language”), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (“tongue”). Cognate with Old Church Slavonic ѩзꙑкъ (językŭ). See also Lithuanian liežùvis, Old Prussian insuwis.

Pronunciation

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /jɛ̃ˈzɯkʊ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /jaˈzɯkʊ/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /jaˈzɯk/
• Hyphenation: ѧ‧зꙑ‧къ

Noun

ѧзꙑкъ (ęzykŭ) m (diminutive ѧзꙑчькъ)

1. a tongue
   • circa 1280, Симоновская псалтирь (Simeon Psalter) 108, verse 2:

     Зане оуста грѣшнагѡ и оуста льстивагѡ ѿверзошасѧ на мѧ: глаголютъ со мною ѧзыкомъ лжи.

     Zane usta grěšnago i usta lĭstivago otŭverzošasę na mę: glagoljutŭ so mnoju ęzykomŭ lži.

     For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

2. a language, speech
   • circa 1420, Ипатьевская летопись (Hypatian Codex), the Primary Chronicle, introduction:

     […] по размѣшеньи же ꙗзꙑкъ . Богъ вѣтромъ великомъ раздруши столпъ […]

     […] po razměšenĭi že jazykŭ . Bogŭ větromŭ velikomŭ razdruši stolpŭ […]

     […] after the mixing of the tongues God destroyed the tower [of Babel] with the great wind […]

   русьскъ ѧзꙑкъ ― rusĭskŭ ęzykŭ ― Rus' language

3. nation, folk, tribe
   • circa 1420, Ипатьевская летопись (Hypatian Codex), the Primary Chronicle, introduction:

     В Афетовѣ же части сѣдить Русь . Чюдь . и вси ꙗзꙑцѣ: Мерѧ . Мурома . Всь . Мордва […]

     V Afetově že časti sěditĭ Rusĭ . Čjudĭ . i vsi jazycě: Merę . Muroma . Vsĭ . Mordva […]

     In the share of Japheth lies Rus, Chud, and all the tribes: Merya, Muroma, Ves, Mordva […]

4. (in the plural) gentiles, pagans, heathens
   • 1056-1057, Остромирово евангелие (Ostromir Gospels), Matthew 10:5:

     Сиѩ посъла Иісусъ, заповѣдавъ имъ глаголѩ: на пѫть ꙗзꙑкъ неидѣте, и въ градъ самареискъ не вънидѣте.

     Siję posŭla Iisusŭ, zapovědavŭ imŭ glagolję: na pǫtĭ jazykŭ neiděte, i vŭ gradŭ samareiskŭ ne vŭniděte.

     These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.

5. a prisoner for interrogation, captive that can reveal information on the enemy
   • 1481, Псковская первая летопись (Pskov First Chronicle), s.a. 6849 (1341):

     И они, ѣхавше, ꙗзꙑкъ ꙗша за Холохолномъ и приведоша ко князю Олигерду; и онъ поведа силу велику Нѣмецкиꙗ рати подъ городомъ Изборскомъ […]

     I oni, ěxavše, jazykŭ jaša za Xoloxolnomŭ i privedoša ko knjazju Oligerdu; i onŭ poveda silu veliku Německija rati podŭ gorodomŭ Izborskomŭ […]

     And they, while getting there, found a native by the Holoholn and brought [him] to Algirdas; and he told about a great force of the Teutons near the Izborsk town […]

6. (law term) witness testimony
   • circa 1280, Пространная версия Русской правды (Vast Edition of the Russian Law) 33:

     […] а то есть не скотъ, нелзѣ рѣчи: не вѣдаю, у кого есми купилъ; по ꙗзꙑку ити до конца […]

     […] a to estĭ ne skotŭ, nelzě rěči: ne vědaju, u kogo esmi kupilŭ; po jazyku iti do konca […]

     […] for [the servant] is not cattle, and one cannot say: I don't know who I bought him from; but [one has to] according to [the servant's] testimony search for [the real thief] […]

7. (law term) will, testament
   • circa 1280, Пространная версия Русской правды (Vast Edition of the Russian Law) 96:

     […] безъ ꙗзꙑка ли оумреть, то оу кого будеть на дворе бꙑла и кто ю кормилъ, то тому взѧти.

     […] bezŭ jazyka li umretĭ, to u kogo budetĭ na dvore byla i kto ju kormilŭ, to tomu vzęti.

     […] if [the widow] dies with no will, then the one who kept her and fed her shall take [her property].

Declension

Declension of ѧзꙑкъ (hard o-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ѧзꙑкъ ęzykŭ	ѧзꙑка ęzyka	ѧзꙑци ęzyci
Genitive	ѧзꙑка ęzyka	ѧзꙑку ęzyku	ѧзꙑкъ ęzykŭ
Dative	ѧзꙑку ęzyku	ѧзꙑкома ęzykoma	ѧзꙑкомъ ęzykomŭ
Accusative	ѧзꙑкъ ęzykŭ	ѧзꙑка ęzyka	ѧзꙑкꙑ ęzyky
Instrumental	ѧзꙑкъмь ęzykŭmĭ	ѧзꙑкома ęzykoma	ѧзꙑкꙑ ęzyky
Locative	ѧзꙑцѣ ęzycě	ѧзꙑку ęzyku	ѧзꙑцѣхъ ęzycěxŭ
Vocative	ѧзꙑче ęzyče	ѧзꙑка ęzyka	ѧзꙑци ęzyci

Derived terms

nouns

• ѧзꙑкоболѣзниѥ n (ęzykobolěznije)
• ѧзꙑкоболѣзньствиѥ n (ęzykobolěznĭstvije)
• ѧзꙑковрѣдиѥ n (ęzykovrědije)
• ѧзꙑчьникъ m (ęzyčĭnikŭ)

 

adjectives

• ѧзꙑкосвѣтообразьнꙑи (ęzykosvětoobrazĭnyi)
• ѧзꙑчьнꙑи (ęzyčĭnyi)
• ѧзꙑчьскꙑи (ęzyčĭskyi)

 

Descendants

• Old Ruthenian: ѧзы́къ (jazýk), єзы́къ (jezýk)
  • Belarusian: язы́к (jazýk)
  • Carpathian Rusyn: язы́к (jazŷ́k)
  • Ukrainian: язи́к (jazýk)
• Russian: язы́к (jazýk)

References

• Sreznevsky, Izmail I. (1912) “ꙗзꙑкъ = ѧзꙑкъ”, in Матеріалы для Словаря древне-русскаго языка по письменнымъ памятникамъ [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old East Slavic Language Based on Written Monuments]‎^[1] (in Russian), volumes 3 (Р – Ꙗ и дополненія), Saint Petersburg: Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, column 1647