An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Sprache

by Friedrich Kluge

Sprache, f., ‘speech, language, utterance,’ from the equiv. MidHG. sprâche, OHG. sprâhha. An abstract of sprechen (comp. AS. sprœ̂č), ‘to speak, say, utter,’ which comes from the equiv. MidHG. sprëchen, OHG. sprëhhan, a str. vb. peculiar to the West Teut. languages; comp. OSax. sprëkan, Du. spreken, AS. sprëcan. The corresponding E. to speak (and speech), from AS. spëcan (and spœ̂č), points to a Teut. root spek, which appears also in MidHG. spëhten, ‘to chatter.’ The Teut. root sprek has no cognates in the non-Teut. languages; it is perhaps related to Sans. sphûrj, ‘to rustle.’ For an obsolete term, also meaning ‘to speak,’ see under Beichte; the current term in the UpG. dials. is reden.