Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/reťi

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 1

• Per Vasmer, cognate with Lithuanian rẽkti (“to shout, to roar”), 1sg. rėkiù, Lithuanian rékauti (“to shout, to roar”), 1sg. rékauju, Latvian rèkt (“to shout, to roar, to howl”), rȩ̃kôt (“to talk, to chat”), as well as Sanskrit रचयति (racáyati, “to work, to construct”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌷𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (rahnjan, “to calculate”), Tocharian B reki, Tocharian A rake (“speech, word”), Latin raccō (“to roar (like a tiger)”), Old Irish réimm (“shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *rekmen.
• Per Derksen, possibly cognate with Sanskrit रचयति (racáyati, “to work, to construct”) and Welsh rhegi (“curse”).

Verb

*reťi pf (imperfective *govorìti or *mъlviti)

1. to say

Conjugation

Conjugation of *reťi, *reče, *rečetь (?, -C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm c)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*rečenьje	*reťi	*reťь	*reklъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*rečenъ	*rekomъ
Active	*rekъ	*reky

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*rěxъ	*reče	*reče	*rekǫ	*rečeši	*rečetь
Dual	*rěxově	*rěsta	*rěste	*rečevě	*rečeta	*rečete
Plural	*rěxomъ	*rěste	*rěšę	*rečemъ	*rečete	*rekǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*rečaaxъ	*rečaaše	*rečaaše	—	*rьci	*rьci
Dual	*rečaaxově	*rečaašeta	*rečaašete	*rьcěvě	*rьcěta	—
Plural	*rečaaxomъ	*rečaašete	*rečaaxǫ	*rьcěmъ	*rьcěte	—

Derived terms

• *perdъreťi (“to predict”) < *perdъ (“front”) + *reťi
• *zareťi (“to order”) < *za (“for”) + *reťi
• *nareťi (“to nominate, to call”) < *na (“on”) + *reťi
• *otъreťi (“to deny, to renounce”) < *otъ (“from”) + *reťi
• *jьzreťi (“to utter, to proclaim”) < *jьz (“out of”) + *reťi
• *vъreťi (“to promise, to vow”) < *vъ(n) (“in”) + *reťi
• *sъreťi (“to spell syllables”) < *sъ(n) (“with”) + *reťi
• *rečenьcь (“term, deadline”) < *reťi + *-ьcь (compare *rokъ (“year”))

Related terms

• *rāčìti (“to wish, want”)
• *rě̑čь (“speech”)
• *rokъ (“period of time”)
• *otrokъ (“child, servant”)
• *prorokъ (“prophet”)
• *porokъ (“vice, flaw”)
• *urokъ (“verbal agreement, curse, lesson”)
• *naročьnъ (“deliberate”)
• *uročьnъ (“agreed upon, accordant”)
• *rota (“oath”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: речи (reči)
    • Old Ruthenian: речи́ (rečí)
      • Belarusian: рачы́ (račý)
      • Ukrainian: речи́ (rečý), ректи́ (rektý)
    • Russian: речи́ (rečí) (dialectal)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Cyrillic: рещи (rešti)

    Glagolitic: ⱃⰵⱋⰹ (rešti)

  • Bulgarian: река́ (reká)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ре̏ћи

    Latin script: rȅći

  • Slovene: réči (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Old Czech: řéci
    • Czech: říct, říci
  • Kashubian: rzec
  • Old Polish: rzec
    • Polish: rzec
  • Slovak: riecť

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “реку”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Chernykh, P. Ja. (1993) “реку”, in Историко-этимологический словарь русского языка (in Russian), 3rd edition, volume 2 (панцирь – ящур), Moscow: Russian Lang., →ISBN, page 109
• Šanskij, N. M. (2004) “речь”, in Školʹnyj etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka (in Russian), Moscow: Drofa

Etymology 2

From earlier *regti, further etymology uncertain. Boryś derived descentands from *ręgati/*rǫgati (“to offend, to scorn”) and Brückner derived Slovene régniti from *ręžati (“to have a wide open mouth”). All ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to twist, wring”). That makes missing nasal in Polish problematic.

Łuczyński proposed to derive it from Proto-Indo-European *h₁regʷ- (“to be dark”). For meaning shift from “dark, black” > “empty” compare Sanskrit रजस् (rajas, “darkness; space”), Tigrinya ፀሊም (ṣ́älim, “black, dark, empty”). The original Slavic meaning could therefore be “to make blanks”, which was narrowed down to “to cut”.

Verb

*reťi impf

1. to cut, crack

Inflection

Conjugation of *reťi, *reže, *rьžetь (impf., -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*reženьje	*reťi	*reťь	*reglъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*reženъ	*rьgomъ
Active	*regъ	*rьgy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*reg(ox)ъ	*reže	*reže	*rьgǫ	*rьžeši	*rьžetь
Dual	*reg(ox)ově	*reg(e/os)ta	*reg(e/os)te	*rьževě	*rьžeta	*rьžete
Plural	*reg(ox)omъ	*reg(e/os)te	*regǫ, *regošę	*rьžemъ	*rьžete	*rьgǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*rьžaaxъ	*rьžaaše	*rьžaaše	—	*rьdzi	*rьdzi
Dual	*rьžaaxově	*rьžaašeta	*rьžaašete	*rьdzěvě	*rьdzěta	—
Plural	*rьžaaxomъ	*rьžaašete	*rьžaaxǫ	*rьdzěmъ	*rьdzěte	—

Notes:
• Aorist *regeste ⇒ *režeste, ...

Conjugation of *reťi, *reže, *režetь (impf., -C-, _/ox-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*reženьje	*reťi	*reťь	*reglъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*reženъ	*regomъ
Active	*regъ	*regy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*reg(ox)ъ	*reže	*reže	*regǫ	*režeši	*režetь
Dual	*reg(ox)ově	*reg(e/os)ta	*reg(e/os)te	*reževě	*režeta	*režete
Plural	*reg(ox)omъ	*reg(e/os)te	*regǫ, *regošę	*režemъ	*režete	*regǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*režaaxъ	*režaaše	*režaaše	—	*rьdzi	*rьdzi
Dual	*režaaxově	*režaašeta	*režaašete	*rьdzěvě	*rьdzěta	—
Plural	*režaaxomъ	*režaašete	*režaaxǫ	*rьdzěmъ	*rьdzěte	—

Notes:
• Aorist *regeste ⇒ *režeste, ...

Conjugation of *reťi, *reže, *režetь (impf., -C-, s-aorist, accent paradigm ?)

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*reženьje	*reťi	*reťь	*reglъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*reženъ	*regomъ
Active	*regъ	*regy

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*rěxъ	*reže	*reže	*regǫ	*režeši	*režetь
Dual	*rěxově	*rěsta	*rěste	*reževě	*režeta	*režete
Plural	*rěxomъ	*rěste	*rěšę	*režemъ	*režete	*regǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*režaaxъ	*režaaše	*režaaše	—	*rьdzi	*rьdzi
Dual	*režaaxově	*režaašeta	*režaašete	*rьdzěvě	*rьdzěta	—
Plural	*režaaxomъ	*režaašete	*režaaxǫ	*rьdzěmъ	*rьdzěte	—

Descendants

• South Slavic:
  • Croatian:
    • Kajkavian: regani (“notched, with cracks”) (passive participle from *regati)
      • ⇒ Kajkavian: *rega
        • ⇒ Kajkavian: regast (“corrugated”)
    • ⇒ Shtokavian: regánac (“incised lace”)
  • Slovene: régati (“to crack”), rẹ́gniti (“to burst, open up”)
    • ⇒ Slovene: réga
      • ⇒ Slovene: régast
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: *rzegać
    • ⇒ Polish: rzega (“streak, weal, welt”) (dialectal)

Further reading

• Brückner, Aleksander (1927) “rzężeć”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna
• Snoj, Marko (2016) “regniti”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar (in Slovene), 3rd edition, https://fran.si
• Wiesław Boryś (1992) “rzega”, in Stanisław Urbańczyk, editor, Język polski‎^[1] (in Polish), volume 72, number 1, Kraków: Towarzystwo Milosnikow Jezyka Polskiego, →ISSN, page 28