Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/rěčь

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

From lengthened grade *rěk- of *reťi +‎ *-ь.

Noun

*rě̑čь f

speech

Inflection

Declension of *rě̑čь (i-stem, accent paradigm c)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*rě̑čь	*rě̑či	*rě̑či
genitive	*rěčí	rěčьjù, rěču^*	*rěčь̀jь
dative	*rě̑či	*rěčьmà	*rě̑čьmъ
accusative	*rě̑čь	*rě̑či	*rě̑či
instrumental	*rěčьjǫ́	*rěčьmà	*rěčьmì
locative	*rěčí	rěčьjù, rěču^*	*rě̑čьxъ
vocative	*rěči	*rě̑či	*rě̑či

^* 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).

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Old East Slavic: рѣчь (rěčĭ, “speech, request”)
  - Belarusian: рэч (reč, “thing”)
  - Russian: речь (rečʹ, “speech, conversation, word”)
  - Ukrainian: річ (rič, “thing, matter, language”)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic:
  Old Cyrillic script: рѣчь (rěčĭ)
  
  Glagolitic script: ⱃⱑⱍⱐ (rěčĭ)
- Bulgarian: реч (reč)
- Macedonian: реч (reč)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic script: ре̑ч
  
  Latin script: rȇč
- Slovene: rẹ̑č (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Old Czech: řěč
  - Czech: řeč
- Old Polish: rzecz
  - Polish: rzecz
  - Silesian: rzecz
- Slovak: reč
- Polabian:
  - Klennow: rec
  - Lüchow: reč
- Pomeranian:
  - Kashubian: rzecz
  - Slovincian: rzêcz
- Sorbian:
  - Upper Sorbian: rěč
  - Lower Sorbian: rěc

References

Derksen, Rick (2008) “*rě̑čь”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 434
Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “речь”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress