Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/mъlviti

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

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *mlewH-der.

Proto-Slavic *mъ̀lva

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Balto-Slavic *-éiˀtei

Proto-Slavic *-iti

Proto-Slavic *mъlviti

From *mъ̀lva (“speech”) +‎ *-iti (“denominal suffix”); or continues Proto-Balto-Slavic *múlˀwīˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥wH-éye-ti, from *mlewH- (“to speak”). Cognate with Sanskrit ब्रवीति (brávīti, “to say”),^[1] Avestan 𐬨𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (mraoⁱti, “to say”). Per Chernykh, some linguists link the root to Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song, melody”).^[2]

Verb

*mъlviti^[1]^[3]

to speak, to say

Inflection

Conjugation of *mъlviti, *mъlvi, *mъlvitь (?, -i-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*mъlvľenьje	*mъlviti	*mъlvitъ	*mъlvilъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*mъlvľenъ	*mъlvimъ
Active	*mъlvľь	*mъlvę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mъlvixъ	*mъlvi	*mъlvi	*mъlvľǫ	*mъlviši	*mъlvitь
Dual	*mъlvixově	*mъlvista	*mъlviste	*mъlvivě	*mъlvita	*mъlvite
Plural	*mъlvixomъ	*mъlviste	*mъlvišę	*mъlvimъ	*mъlvite	*mъlvętь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*mъlvľaaxъ	*mъlvľaaše	*mъlvľaaše	—	*mъlvi	*mъlvi
Dual	*mъlvľaaxově	*mъlvľaašeta	*mъlvľaašete	*mъlvivě	*mъlvita	—
Plural	*mъlvľaaxomъ	*mъlvľaašete	*mъlvľaaxǫ	*mъlvimъ	*mъlvite	—

(*)*mъlvivъ is a later doublet of the past active participle

Related terms

*mъlva (“speech”)

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: мълвити (mŭlviti)
  - Old Ruthenian: мовити (moviti), мо́лвити (mólviti) — archaic
    - Belarusian: мо́віць (móvicʹ), мо́виць (móvicʹ), мо́вицьца (móvicʹca)
    - Carpathian Rusyn: мо́вити (móvyty)
    - Ukrainian: мо́вити (móvyty)
  - Russian: мо́лвить (mólvitʹ) (archaic, poetic or dialectal)
- Old Novgorodian: мълвити (mŭlviti), молвити (molviti)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Cyrillic: млъвити (mlŭviti)
  
  Glagolitic: ⰿⰾⱏⰲⰻⱅⰻ (mlŭviti)
  - → Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic script: мувити (rare, literary, archaic)
    
    Latin script: muviti (rare, literary, archaic)
- Bulgarian: мълвя́ (mǎlvjá)
- Slovene: mółviti (tonal orthography) (obsolete)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: mluviti
  - Czech: mluvit
- Old Polish: mówić, mołwić
  - Polish: mówić, mówieć (Middle Polish)
  - Silesian: mōwić
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: mówic
  - Slovincian: môwjic
- Slovak: mluviť (Kálal's dictionary)
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: mołwić, mołwjeć
  - Lower Sorbian: mołwiś

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mъlviti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 334: “v. ‘speak, say’”
^ Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999), “мо́лвить”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 538
^ Olander, Thomas (2001), “mъlviti: mъlvjǫ mъlvitь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a tale (PR 133)”

[EDSIL-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mъlviti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 334: “v. ‘speak, say’”

[2] Chernykh, P. Ja. (1999), “мо́лвить”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 1 (а – пантомима), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 538

[3] Olander, Thomas (2001), “mъlviti: mъlvjǫ mъlvitь”, in Common Slavic Accentological Word List‎^[1], Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “a tale (PR 133)”

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