# ѧзꙑкъ
## Old East Slavic
### Alternative forms

* ꙗзꙑкъ (jazykŭ), ѩзꙑкъ (językŭ)

### Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *ęzykъ (“tongue, language”), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (“tongue”). Cognate with Old Church Slavonic ѩзꙑкъ (językŭ). See also Lithuanian liežùvis, Old Prussian insuwis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jɛ̃ˈzɯkʊ/→/jaˈzɯkʊ/→/jaˈzɯk/
* (ca. 9th CE) IPA: /jɛ̃ˈzɯkʊ/
* (ca. 11th CE) IPA: /jaˈzɯkʊ/
* (ca. 13th CE) IPA: /jaˈzɯk/
* Hyphenation: ѧ‧зꙑ‧къ

### Noun

ѧзꙑкъ (językŭ) m (diminutive ѧзꙑчькъ)
* a tongue
** circa 1280, Симоновская псалтирь (Simeon Psalter) 108, verse 2:
    Зане оуста грѣшнагѡ и оуста льстивагѡ ѿверзошасѧ на мѧ: глаголютъ со мною ѧзыкомъ лжи.Zane usta grěšnago i usta lĭstivago otŭverzošasę na mę: glagoljutŭ so mnoju językomŭ lži.For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
* a language, speech
** circa 1420, Ипатьевская летопись (Hypatian Codex), the Primary Chronicle, introduction:
    […] по размѣшеньи же ꙗзꙑкъ . Богъ вѣтромъ великомъ раздруши столпъ […][…] po razměšenĭi že jazykŭ . Bogŭ větromŭ velikomŭ razdruši stolpŭ […] […] after the mixing of the tongues God destroyed the tower [of Babel] with the great wind […]
    русьскъ ѧзꙑкъ ― rusĭskŭ językŭ ― Rus' language
* nation, folk, tribe
** circa 1420, Ипатьевская летопись (Hypatian Codex), the Primary Chronicle, introduction:
    В Афетовѣ же части сѣдить Русь . Чюдь . и вси ꙗзꙑцѣ: Мерѧ . Мурома . Всь . Мордва […]V Afetově že časti sěditĭ Rusĭ . Čjudĭ . i vsi jazycě: Merę . Muroma . Vsĭ . Mordva […]In the share of Japheth lies Rus, Chud, and all the tribes: Merya, Muroma, Ves, Mordva […]
* (in the plural) gentiles, pagans, heathens
** 1056-1057, Остромирово евангелие (Ostromir Gospels), Matthew 10:5:
    Сиѩ посъла Иісусъ, заповѣдавъ имъ глаголѩ: на пѫть ꙗзꙑкъ неидѣте, и въ градъ самареискъ не вънидѣте.Siję posŭla Iisusŭ, zapovědavŭ imŭ glagolję: na pǫtĭ jazykŭ neiděte, i vŭ gradŭ samareiskŭ ne vŭniděte.These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.
* a prisoner for interrogation, captive that can reveal information on the enemy
** 1481, Псковская первая летопись (Pskov First Chronicle), s.a. 6849 (1341):
    И они, ѣхавше, ꙗзꙑкъ ꙗша за Холохолномъ и приведоша ко князю Олигерду; и онъ поведа силу велику Нѣмецкиꙗ рати подъ городомъ Изборскомъ […]I oni, jěxavše, jazykŭ jaša za Xoloxolnomŭ i privedoša ko knjazju Oligerdu; i onŭ poveda silu veliku Německija rati podŭ gorodomŭ Izborskomŭ […]And they, while getting there, found a native by the Holoholn and brought [him] to Algirdas; and he told about a great force of the Teutons near the Izborsk town […]
* (law term) witness testimony
** circa 1280, Пространная версия Русской правды (Vast Edition of the Russian Law) 33:
    […] а то есть не скотъ, нелзѣ рѣчи: не вѣдаю, у кого есми купилъ; по ꙗзꙑку ити до конца […][…] a to estĭ ne skotŭ, nelzě rěči: ne vědaju, u kogo esmi kupilŭ; po jazyku iti do konca […] […] for [the servant] is not cattle, and one cannot say: I don't know who I bought him from; but [one has to] according to [the servant's] testimony search for [the real thief] […]
* (law term) will, testament
** circa 1280, Пространная версия Русской правды (Vast Edition of the Russian Law) 96:
    […] безъ ꙗзꙑка ли оумреть, то оу кого будеть на дворе бꙑла и кто ю кормилъ, то тому взѧти.[…] bezŭ jazyka li umretĭ, to u kogo budetĭ na dvore byla i kto ju kormilŭ, to tomu vzęti. […] if [the widow] dies with no will, then the one who kept her and fed her shall take [her property].

#### Derived terms

* ѧзꙑкоболѣзниѥ n (językobolěznije)
* ѧзꙑкоболѣзньствиѥ n (językobolěznĭstvije)
* ѧзꙑковрѣдиѥ n (językovrědije)
* ѧзꙑчьникъ m (języčĭnikŭ)
* ѧзꙑкосвѣтообразьнꙑи (językosvětoobrazĭnyi)
* ѧзꙑчьнꙑи (języčĭnyi)
* ѧзꙑчьскꙑи (języčĭskyi)

#### Descendants

* Old Ruthenian: ѧзы́къ (jazýk), єзы́къ (jezýk)
** Belarusian: язы́к (jazýk)
** Carpathian Rusyn: язы́к (jazŷ́k)
** Ukrainian: язи́к (jazýk)
* Russian: язы́к (jazýk)

### References

* Sreznevsky, Izmail I. (1912) “ꙗзꙑкъ = ѧзꙑкъ”, in Матеріалы для Словаря древне-русскаго языка по письменнымъ памятникамъ [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old East Slavic Language Based on Written Monuments]‎ (in Russian), volume 3 (Р – Ꙗ и дополненія), Saint Petersburg: Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, column 1647