Where does “Gemeinsprache” come from?
Gemeinsprache (German) comes from German gemein, from Middle High German gemein, from Old High German gimeinī, from Proto-West Germanic gamainī, from Proto-Germanic gamainiz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱom-moynis.
Gemeinsprache (German): common, general language both spoken and written, but opposed to technical or scientific jargon, slang, dialects etc
Definitions
- common, general language both spoken and written, but opposed to technical or scientific jargon, slang, dialects etc
Ancestry of “Gemeinsprache”, step by step
Gemeinsprache traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German gemein
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | gemein | mean, base, nasty, cruel, wicked, vile, vicious,... |
| 2 | Middle High German | gemein | — |
| 3 | Old High German | gimeinī | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gamainī | common; shared, communal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gamainiz | shared, communal, public; common, ordinary |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moynis | — |