CHAPTER IX
§ 96. OHG. nouns have two numbers, singular and plural; three genders, masculine, feminine, and neuter, as in OE., from which the gender of nouns in OHG. does not materially differ; five cases, Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, and Instrumental. The Instr. case does not occur in all declensions. The Voc. is like the Nom. OHG. nouns are divided into two great divisions, according as the stem originally ended in a vowel or a consonant. Nouns whose stems originally ended in a vowel belong to the vocalic or so-called strong declension. Those whose stems originally ended in -n belong to the weak declension. All other consonantal stems will be put together under the general heading, ‘Minor Declensions’.
§ 97. The a-declension comprises masc. and neut. nouns only, and corresponds to the Latin and Greek o-declension (Gr. masc. -os, neut. -on, Lat. -us, -um), for which reason it is sometimes called the o-declension. The a-declension is divided into pure a-stems, ja-stems, and wa-stems.
Masculine
|
Neuter |
|
Sing. Nom. |
Acc. tag, day |
wort, word |
|
Gen. tages (-as) |
wortes (-as) |
|
Dat. tage (-a) |
worte (-a) |
|
Instr. tagu (-o) |
wortu (-o) |
Masculine
|
Neuter |
|
Plur. Nom. |
Acc. tagā,
-a |
wort |
|
Gen. tago |
worto |
|
Dat. tagum, -om; |
wortum, -om; |
|
-un, -on |
-un, -on |
Note.—The endings -as, -a of the gen. and dat. sg. do not occur frequently until after the end of the ninth century. The nom. pi. form taga is still unexplained ; it is, however, questionable whether the form taga did really exist in OHG. -un, -on are the usual dat. pl. endings of the ninth century (§ 92).
§ 98. Like tag are declined most OHG. masculine nouns, e.g. bërg, mountain, wëg, way, geist, spirit, himil, heaven, tiufal, devil, kuning, king, &c.
§ 99. Dissyllabic nouns ending in -al, -ar, -an with long stems sometimes drop the a before a vocalic ending, as nom. ackar, acre, field, gen. ackres, &c. See § 59.
§ 100. Proper names of this declension take the pronominal ending -an in the acc., as also truthīn, God, Lord, e.g. nom. Petrus, acc.Petrusan; acc. truthīnan.
§ 101. Like wort are declined barn, child, sēr, pain, swërt, sword, honag, honey, zwīfal (cp. § 59), doubt, &c. , here belong also the diminutives in -īn and līn, as magatīn, little maid, fingarlīn, little finger, except that the Upper German dialects retain the -n in the gen. and dat. only, and that the nom., acc. pl. end in -iu. in Alemanic.
§ 102. b. ja-stems.
Masculine
|
Neuter |
|
Sing. Nom. |
Acc. hirti, herdsman |
kunni, race |
|
Gen. hirtes |
kunnes |
|
Dat. (hirtie); hirte |
(kunnie); kunne |
|
Instr. hirtiu; hirtu, -o |
kunniu; kunnu, -o |
Masculine
|
Neuter |
|
Plur. Nom. |
Acc. hirte;
hirtā, -a |
kunni |
|
Gen. hirteo, -io; hirto |
kunneo, -io; kunno |
|
Dat. hirtum, -un, -on |
kunnum, -un, -on |
|
hirtim, -in |
kunnim, -in |
Note.—The forms in spaced type are the usual ones of the ninth century. The neuter nouns of this declension frequently end in -iu or -u in the nom., acc. pl. in Tatian.
§ 103. Like hirti are declined the nomina agentis ending in -āri. (-ari, -eri), as wahtāri (wahtari, wahteri), watchman, lērāri. teacher, scrībāri, writer, scribe; as also karkāri, prison, altāri, altar; and a few others, rucki, back, phuzzi, puzzi, well, kāsi, cheese.
§ 104. Like kunni are declined very many neuters, as enti, end, rīchi, kingdom, betti, bed, gizungi, language, finstarnessi, darkness, heri, army, gen. heries, dat. sg. herie, herige.
Masculine
|
Neuter |
|
Sing. Nom. |
Acc. snēo,
snē, snow |
kneo, knee |
|
Gen. snēwes |
knëwes |
|
Dat. snēwe |
knëwe |
Plur. Nom. |
Acc. snēwā, -a |
kneo |
|
Gen. snēwo |
knëwo |
|
Dat. snēwum, -un, -on |
knëwum, -un, -on |
Note.—On the forms of the nom. sg. see § 90. When the w is preceded by a consonant an a (sometimes o, e) is developed in the oblique cases, thus nom. neut. trëso, treasure, gen. trësawes; nom. masc. scato, shadow, gen. scatawes, see § 63.
§ 105. To this declension belong the masculines lēo, grave, sēo, sea, bū (gen. būwes), dwelling, and the neuters rēo, corpse, zëso, right side, smëro, grease.
§ 106. The ō-declension contains feminine nouns only, and corresponds to the Latin and Greek ā-declension, for which reason it is sometimes called the ā-declension. The wō-stems are declined exactly like the pure ō-stems. The jō-stems have also the same inflections as the pure ō-stems after the middle of the ninth century.
§ 107. a. Pure o-stems.
|
Sing.
|
Plur. |
|
Nom |
Acc |
gëba, gift |
gëba |
|
Gen |
gëba, -u, -o |
gëbōno |
|
Dat |
gëbu, -o |
gëbōm, -ōn, -on |
§ 108. Like gëba are declined a large number of nouns, as ërda, earth, ēra, honour, zala, number, triuwa, fidelity, corunga, temptation, hertida, hardness, miltida, compassion, gi-nāda, favour, lōsunga, deliverance, stunta, time, &c.
§ 109. b. Jo-stems.
|
Sing. |
|||||||
N |
sunte, sin; |
suntea, -ia |
sunta |
kuningin, queen |
||||
A |
„ |
„ |
„ |
kuninginna; -in |
||||
G |
„ |
„ |
„ |
kuninginna |
||||
D |
|
suntiu |
suntu |
kuninginnu |
||||
|
Plur. |
|||||||
N.A. |
sunte; |
sunteā, -iā; |
suntā |
kuninginnā |
||||
G |
|
sunteōno; |
suntōno |
kuninginnōno |
||||
D |
|
sunteōm; |
suntōm, -ōn |
kuninginnōm, -ōn |
||||
Note.—The forms in spaced type are the ordinary ones of the ninth century and do not differ from those of gëba.
§ 110. Like sunta are declined hella, hell, sibba, sippa, peace, minna, love, krippa, manger, &c.
§ 111. Like kuningin are declined forasagin, prophetess, friuntin, friend, burdin, burden, &c.
§ 112. This declension comprises two classes of stems which were originally different, but which have entirely fallen together in their inflection in OHG.—(1) adjectival abstract nouns the stems of which originally ended in -īn, nom. -ī; (2) verbal abstract nouns with stems ending in -īni. Cp., on the one hand, Gothic mikilei, greatness, formed from mikils, great, diupei, depth, from diups, deep, gen.mikileins, diupeins (weak declension); and, on the other hand, dáupeins, a dipping, formed from dáupjan, to dip, naseins, a rescuing, from nasjan, to rescue, gen. dáupeináis, naseináis (i-declension).
Sing. Nom. Acc. |
Gen. Dat. |
hōhī (hōhīn), height. |
Plur. Nom. Acc. |
|
hōhī (hōhīn) |
|
Gen. |
hōhīno |
|
Dat. |
hōhīm, -īn. |
§ 113. Like hōhī are declined scōnī, beauty, suozzi, sweetness, snëllī, quickness, tiufī, depth, menigī, managī, multitude, irstantanī, resurrection, toufī, a dipping, welī, choice, leitī, a leading &c.
§ 114. The OHG. i-declension contains masculine and feminine nouns only. The -i was dropped regularly in the nom. and ace. sg. of nouns with long stems, after the analogy of which it was also dropped for the most part in those with short stems. See § 57. Cp. the corresponding distinction in OE.
a. Masculines.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
|
Nom. |
Acc. |
gast, guest |
gesti |
|
Gen. |
gastes |
gesteo, -io; gesto |
|
Dat. |
gaste |
gestim, -in; -en |
|
Instr. |
gastiu, gestiu; gastu |
|
Note.—On the consonantal combinations which prevent umlaut from taking place where it might be expected, see § 43.
§ 115. Like gast are declined liut, people, wurm, worm, aphul, apple, slag, blow, scrit, step.—wini, friend, quiti, saying, and a few others retain the -i in the nom., acc. sg.; but follow gast in the other cases. Many u- and consonant stems have passed over into this declension : original u-stems were skilt, shield, wirt, master of the house, heit, manner, sun, son; consonant stems, fuož, foot, zan, zand, tooth, nagal, nail.
b. Feminines.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
|
Nom. |
Acc. |
anst, favour |
ensti |
|
Gen. |
ensti |
ensteo, -io; ensto |
|
Dat. |
ensti |
enstim, -in; -en |
Note.—On the consonantal combinations which prevent umlaut, see § 43.
§ 116. Like anst are declined stat, place, jugund, youth, fart, journey, gift, gift, giburt, birth, &c. kuri, choice, and turi, door, retain the i in the nom., acc. sg., but follow anst in the other cases. Like anst are also declined the old u-stems fluot, flood, lust, desire, and the consonant stems gans, goose, miluh, milk, magad, virgin, and a few others.
§ 117. The u-declension no longer existed in OHG. as an independent declension; the nouns originally belonging to it having been for the most part transferred to the i-declension and also a few to the a-declension. Below will be found a summary of the more frequent traces of this declension still existing in OHG.
a. Masculines.
§ 118. Situ, custom, fridu, peace, hugu, understanding, sigu, victory, witu, wood, sunu (beside sun) retained their u in the nom., acc. sg. (§ 57, 2); in the other cases they followed the i-declension.
b. Neuter.
§ 119. Fihu, cattle, retained the u in the nom., acc. sg. (§ 57, a), in the gen. and dat. sg. it had the same endings as wort, word.
c. Feminine.
§ 120. Hant was declined like anst, except that in the dat. pi. it retained the old u-endings hantum, -un, -on; cp. NHG. abhanden, vorhanden.
§ 121. The weak declension contains all three genders.
a. Masculines.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. |
hano, cock |
hanon, hanun |
Acc. |
hanon, hanun |
hanon, hanun |
Gen. |
henen, hanin |
hanōno |
Dat. |
hanen, hanin |
hanōm, -ōn |
b. Neuters.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. Acc. |
hërza, heart |
hërzun, -on |
Gen. |
hërzen, hërzin |
hërzōno |
Dat. |
hërzen, hërzin |
hërzōm, -ōn |
Feminines.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. |
zunga, tongue |
zungūn |
Acc. |
zungūn |
zungūn |
Gen. |
zungūn |
zungōno |
Dat. |
zungūn |
zungōm, -ōn |
§ 122. Like hano are declined hērro, hēro, master, wahsmo, fruit, ohso, ox, stërno, star, gomo, man, namo, name, willo, will, forasago, prophet, &c.
§ 123. Like hërza are declined ouga, eye, ōra, ear, wanga, cheek.
§ 124. Like zunga are declined quëna, woman, diorna, maiden, sunna, sun, &c.
§ 125. a. Masculines.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. Acc. |
man, man |
man |
Gen. |
mannes |
manno |
Dat. |
man, manne |
mannum, -un; -om, -on |
Note.—eoman, ioman, some one, neoman, nioman, no one, have the pronominal ending -an in the acc., thus eomannan, neomannan,
zan, zand, tooth, and fuož, foot, have passed over into the i-declension, the latter, however, retained the consonantal endings -um, -un, -on in the dat. plural.
§ 126. No traces of neuters of this class now remain, unless there be such a trace in the dat. sg. hūs, to a house, beside hūse.
b. Feminines.
§ 127. The nouns originally belonging here have also mostly passed over into the i-declension.
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. Acc. |
naht, night |
naht |
Gen. |
naht |
nahto |
Dat. |
naht |
nahtum, -un, -on |
Note.—buoch, book, was mostly neut. in the sg.,as gen. buoches, dat. buoche; in the pl. it was fem. and declined like naht.
burg, borough, city, and brust, breast, were sometimes declined like naht, and sometimes like anst.
§ 128. To this class belonged: fater, father, bruoder, brother, muoter, mother, tohter, daughter, and swëster, sister.
§ 129.
Sing. Plur.
Nom. Acc. |
fater |
faterā, -a |
Gen. |
fater; fateres |
fatero |
Dat. |
fater; fatere |
faterum, -un, -on |
Note.—fateres, fatere and the pl. forms have been made after the analogy of the a-stems.
§ 130. Sing. Nom. Acc. Gen. Dat. muoter
Plur. Nom. Acc. muoter
Gen. muotero
Dat. muoterum, -un, -on.
§ 131. Like muoter were also declined bruoder, tohter, and swëster.
§ 132. To this class belonged present participles used as nouns (for the inflection of the participles themselves, see § 147).
|
Sing. |
Plur. |
Nom. Acc. |
friunt, friend |
friunt; friuntā, -a |
Gen. |
friuntes |
friunto |
Dat. |
friunte |
friuntum, -un, -on |
Note.—Here belonged originally a large number of nouns, as fīant, enemy, wīgant, warrior, &c., all of which have passed into the a-declension.
§ 133. This class corresponded to the Greek neuters in -os, Latin –us, gen. -eris.
§ 134.
Sing. Plur.
Nom. Acc. |
lamb, lamb |
lembir |
Gen. |
lambes |
lembiro |
Dat. |
lambe |
lembirum, -om; -un, -on |
Instr. |
lambu, -o |
-un, -on. |
§ 135. Like lamb were declined kalb, calf, blat, leaf, grab, grave, and a few others.