Split - 2024 07 06 060840 - 5

23
CHAPTER VIII.
THE ō-DECLENSION.
37. The ō-Declension, corresponding to the First or ā-Declension of Latin and Greek,
contains only feminine nouns. Many feminine i-stems and u-stems soon passed over
to this Declension. The ō-Declension may, therefore, be considered the normal
declension for all strong feminine nouns.
38. Paradigms of sēo giefu, gift; sēo wund, wound; sēo rōd, cross; sēo leornung, learning, sēo
sāwol, soul:
Sing. N. gief-u wund rōd leornung sāwol

G. gief-e wund-e rōd-e leornung-a (e) sāwl-e
D.I. gief-e wund-e rōd-e leornung-a (e) sāwl-e
A. gief-e wund-e rōd-e leornung-a (e) sāwl-e
Plur. N.A. gief-a wund-a rōd-a leornung-a sāwl-a
G. gief-a wund-a rōd-a leornung-a sāwl-a
D.I. gief-um wund-um rōd-um leornung-um sāwl-um
39. Note (1) that monosyllables with short stems (giefu) take u in the nominative singular;
(2) that monosyllables with long stems (wund, rōd) present the unchanged stem in the
nominative singular; (3) that dissyllables are declined as monosyllables, except that
abstract nouns in –ung prefer a to e in the singular.
NOTE.—Syncopation occurs as in masculine and neuter a-stems. See § 27, (4).

40. Present and Preterit Indicative of bēon (wesan), to be:
PRESENT (first form). PRESENT (second form). PRETERIT.
Sing. 1. Ic eom 1. Ic bēom 1. Ic wæs
2. ðū eart 2. ðū bist 2. ðū wǣre
3. hē is 3. hē bið 3. hē wæs
Plur. 1. wē 1. wē 1. wē
2. gē sind (on), sint 2. gē bēoð 2. gē wǣron
3. hīe 3. hīe 3. hīe
NOTE 1.—The forms bēom, bist, etc. are used chiefly as future tenses in O.E. They survive to-day only in
dialects and in poetry. Farmer Dobson, for example, in Tennyson’s Promise of May, uses be for all persons of the
present indicative, both singular and plural; and there be is frequent in Shakespeare for there are. The Northern
dialect employed aron as well as sindon and sind for the present plural; hence Mn.E. are.
NOTE 2.—Fusion with ne gives neom and nis for the present; næs, nǣre, nǣron for the preterit.
NOTE 3.—The verb to be is followed by the nominative case, as in Mn.E.; but when the predicate noun is plural,
and the subject a neuter pronoun in the singular, the verb agrees in number with the predicate noun. The neuter
24
singular ∂æt is frequently employed in this construction: Ðæt wǣron eall Finnas, They were all Fins; Ðæt sind
ęnglas, They are angels; Ðǣt wǣron ęngla gāstas, They were angels’ spirits.
Notice, too, that O.E. writers do not say It is I, It is thou, but I it am, Thou it art: Ic hit eom, ðū hit eart. See §
21, (1), Note 1.
41. VOCABULARY.
sēo brycg, bridge, sēo geoguð, youth.
sēo costnung, temptation. sēo glōf, glove.
sēo cwalu, death [quail, quell]. sēo hālignes2, holiness.
sēo fōr, journey [faran]. sēo heall, hall.
sēo frōfor, consolation, comfort. hēr, here.
hwā, who? sēo mildheortnes, mild-
hwær, where? heartedness, mercy.
sēo lufu, love. sēo stōw, place [stow away].
sēo mearc, boundary [mark, marches1]. ðǣr, there.
sēo mēd, meed, reward. sēo ðearf, need.
sēo wylf, she wolf.
42. EXERCISES.
I. 1. Hwǣr is ðǣre brycge ęnde?
2. Hēr sind ðāra rīca mearca.
3. Hwā hæfð Þā glōfa?
4. Ðǣr bið ðǣm cyninge frōfre ðearf.
5. Sēo wund is on ðǣre wylfe hēafde.
6. Wē habbað costnunga.
7. Hīe nǣron on ðǣre healle.
8. Ic hit neom.
9. Ðæt wǣron Wēalas.
10. Ðæt sind ðæs wīfes bearn.
1
All words ending in –nes double the –s before adding the case endings.
2
As in warden of the marches.
25
II. 1. We shall have the women’s gloves.
2. Where is the place?
3. He will be in the hall.
4. Those (Ðæt) were not the boundaries of the kingdom.
5. It was not I.
6 Ye are not the king’s scribes.
7. The shepherd’s words are full (full + gen.) of wisdom and comfort.
8. Where are the bodies of the children?
9. The gifts are not here.
10. Who has the seals and the birds?

26
CHAPTER IX.
THE i-DECLENSION AND THE u-DECLENSION.
THE i-DECLENSION.
43. The i-Declension, corresponding to the group of i-stems in the classical Third
Declension, contains chiefly (a) masculine and (b) feminine nouns. The N.A. plural of
these nouns ended originally in –e (from older i).
(a) Masculine i-Stems.
44. These stems have almost completely gone over to the a-Declension, so that –as is more
common than –e as the N.A. plural ending, whether the stem is long or short. The short
stems all have –e in the N.A. singular.
45. Paradigms of sē wyrm, worm; sē wine, friend.
Sing. N.A. wyrm win-e
G. wyrm-es win-es
D.I. wyrm-e win-e
Plur. N.A. wyrm-as win-as (e)
G. wyrm-a win-a
D.I. wyrm-um win-um
Names of Peoples.
46. The only i-stems that regularly retain -e of the N.A. plural are certain names of tribes or
peoples used only in the plural.
47. Paradigms of ðā Ęngle, Angles; ðā Norðymbre, Northumbrians; ðā lēode, people:
Plur. N.A. Ęngle Norðymbre lēode
G. Ęngla Norðymbra lēoda
D.I. Ęnglum Norðymbrum lēodum
(b) Feminine i-Stems

48. The short stems (fręm-u) conform entirely to the declension of short ō-stems; long
stems (cwēn, wyrt) differ from long ō-stems in having no ending for the A. singular.
They show, also, a preference for –e rather than –a in the N.A. plural.
49. Paradigms of sēo fręm-u, benefit; sēo cwēn, woman, queen [quean]; sēo wyrt, root [wort]:
27
Sing. N. fręm-u cwēn wyrt

G. fręm-e cwēn-e wyrt-e
D.I. fręm-e cwēn-e wyrt-e
A. fręm-e cwēn wyrt
Plur. N.A. fręm-a cwēn-e (a) wyrt-e (a)
G. fręm-a cwēn-a wyrt-a
D.I. fręm-um cwēn-um wyrt-um
The u-Declension.
50. The u-Declension, corresponding to the group of u-stems in the classical Third
Declension, contains no neuters, and but few (a) masculines and (b) feminines. The
short-stemmed nouns of both genders (sun-u, dur-u) retain the final u of the N.A.
singular, while the long stems (feld, hǫnd) drop it. The influence of the masculine a-
stems is most clearly seen in the long-stemmed masculines of the u-Declension (feld,
feld-es, etc.).
NOTE.—Note the general aversion of all O.E. long stems to final –u: cf. N.A. plural hof-u, but bearn, bān; N.
singular gief-u, but wund, rōd; N. singular fręm-u, but cwēn, wyrt; N.A. singular sun-u, dur-u, but feld, hǫnd.
(a) Masculine u-Stems.
51. Paradigms of sē sun-u, son; sē feld, field:
Sing. N.A. sun-u feld
G. sun-a feld-a (es)
D.I. sun-a feld-a (e)
Plur. N.A. sun-a feld-a (as)
G. sun-a feld-a
D.I. sun-um feld-um
(b) Feminine u-Stems.

52. Paradigms of sēo dur-u, door; sēo hǫnd, hand:
Sing. N.A. dur-u hǫnd
G. dur-a hǫnd-a
D.I. dur-a hǫnd-a
Plur. N.A. dur-a hǫnd-a
28
G. dur-a hǫnd-a
D.I. dur-um hǫnd-um
53. Paradigm of the Third Personal Pronoun, hē, hēo, hit = he, she, it:
Masculine. Feminine. Neuter.
Sing. N. hē hēo hit
G. his hiere his
D. him hiere him
A. hine, hiene hīe hit
All Genders.
Plur. N.A. hīe
i. G. hiera
D. him
54. VOCABULARY.
(i-STEMS.) ðā Seaxe, Saxons.
sē cierr, turn, time [char, chare, chore]. sē stęde, place [instead of].
sēo dǣd, deed. (u-STEMS.)
sē dǣl, part [a great deal]. sēo flōr, floor.
ðā Dęne, Danes. sēo nosu, nose.
sē frēondscipe, friendship. se sumor (gen. sumeres, dat.
seō hȳd, skin, hide. sumera), summer.
ðā lǫndlēode, natives. sē winter (gen. wintres, dat.
ðā Mierce, Mercians. wintra), winter.
ðā Rōmware, Romans. sē wudu, wood, forest.
Note.—The numerous masculine nouns ending in –hād,—cild-hād (childhood), wīfhād (womanhood),—belong to the
u-stems historically; but they have all passed over to the a-Declension.
55. EXERCISES.
I. 1. Ðā Seaxe habbað ðæs dēores hȳd on ðǣm wuda.
2. Hwā hæfð ðā giefa?
3. Ðā Mierce hīe1 habbað.
1
See § 21, (1).

Split - 2024 07 06 060840 - 5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Split - 2024 07 06 060840 - 5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Split - 2024 07 06 060840 - 5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

23

Sing. N. gief-u wund rōd leornung sāwol

NOTE.—Syncopation occurs as in masculine and neuter a-stems. See § 27, (4).

I. 1. Hwǣr is ðǣre brycge ęnde?

2. Hēr sind ðāra rīca mearca.

3. Hwā hæfð Þā glōfa?

4. Ðǣr bið ðǣm cyninge frōfre ðearf.

5. Sēo wund is on ðǣre wylfe hēafde.

7. Hīe nǣron on ðǣre healle.

9. Ðæt wǣron Wēalas.

10. Ðæt sind ðæs wīfes bearn.

II. 1. We shall have the women’s gloves.

2. Where is the place?

3. He will be in the hall.

4. Those (Ðæt) were not the boundaries of the kingdom.

6 Ye are not the king’s scribes.

8. Where are the bodies of the children?

9. The gifts are not here.

10. Who has the seals and the birds?

(b) Feminine i-Stems

Sing. N. fręm-u cwēn wyrt

(b) Feminine u-Stems.

2. Hwā hæfð ðā giefa?

3. Ðā Mierce hīe1 habbað.

You might also like