§ 89. The Gothic =a=-declension contains only masculins and neuters. We
distinguish between pure =a=-stems and =ja=-stems.
NOTE. The =wa=-stems in Gothic differ but very litl from the pure
=a=-stems. Their number is very small (§ 91, n. 3; § 93; § 94, n.
1).
Masculins.
§ 90. Paradims of the masculins. (a) Pure =a=-stems: =dags=, _day_ (<
an erlier *dagaz, proethnic Germanic *dago-z, § 88, n. 2); =hlaifs=,
_(loaf of) bred_ (proethnic Germanic *hlaibo-z). (b) =ja=-stems:
=haírdeis=, _herdsman_ (proethnic Germanic *herdio-z); =harjis=, _army_
(proethnic Germanic *hario-z).
Sing. N. =dags= =hlaifs= | =haírdeis= =harjis=
G. =dagis= =hlaibis= | =haírdeis= =harjis=
D. =daga= =hlaiba= | =haírdja= =harja=
A. =dag= =hlaif= | =haírdi= =hari=
V. =dag= =hlaif= | =haírdi= =hari=
|
Plur. A. =dagôs= =hlaibôs= | =haírdjôs= =harjôs=
G. =dagê= =hlaibê= | =haírdjê= =harjê=
D. =dagam= =hlaibam= | =haírdjam= =harjam=
A. =dagans= =hlaibans= | =haírdjans= =harjans=
§ 91. Like =dags= decline many masculins; as, =stains=, _stone_;
=skalks=, _servant_; =tains=, _twig_; =himins=, _heven_; =fisks=,
_fish_; =wigs=, _way_; =wulfs=, _wolf_; =fugls=, _bird (fowl)_; =aiþs=
(gen. =aiþis=), _oath_.
=hlaifs= shows the hardening of the medial soft spirant when becuming
final (cp. §§ 56. 79). So does =laufs= (nom. pl. =laubôs=), _leaf_.
NOTE 1. The declension of these masculins is identical with that of
the masculin =i=-stems (100) in the hole sg. and in the gen. pl.
Only the nom., acc., and dat. pl. can show to which declension they
belong. Consequently, a number of masculins which ar not found in
those pl. cases cannot with certainty be classified. The testimony
of the other Germanic languages, however, wil in many cases
enable us to decide. Thus =akrs=, _field_; =mêgs=, _sun-in-law_;
=maúrgins=, _morning_; =snaiws=, _snow_; =maiþms=, _present_, etc.,
belong to the =a=-decl.
NOTE 2. Words which ar not found in the nom. sg. nor in the nom.
acc. pl., may be neuter. Thus the nom. to the isolated gen.
=akeitis= (_vinegar_) may be both =akeits= and =akeit=, that to the
dat. =staþa= (_shore_) both =staþs= and =staþ=. Sum of such words
ar undoutedly m., as is evident from the adjs. which modify them,
or from the cognate dialects; e. g., =slêps=, _sleep_; =wôkrs=,
_uzury_; =aúhns=, _oven_; =tweifls=, _dout_; =môþs=, _anger_ (gen.
=môdis=, § 74).
NOTE 3. According to the rules for final =w= (§ 42), =þius= and
=þiu= ar givn, respectivly, as the nom. and voc. sg. to the nom.
pl. =þiwôs= (_servants_), gen. =þiwê=--the only forms found. Cp.
=þiu-magus=, _servant_, § 88ᵃ, n. 1.
NOTE 4. According to § 78, n. 2, the =s= of the nom. sg. is dropt
in =*ans= (dat. =anza=), _beam_; =*hals= (=halsis=), _neck_;
=freihals=, _liberty_; =*ams= (acc. pl. =amsans=), _shoulder_:
=waír=, _man_; =*gabaúr= (n. pl. =gabaúrôs=), _festiv meal_;
=kaisar=, _emperor, Cæsar_; =stiur=, _steer_ (Neh. 5, 18; cp. Zs.
fda., 37, 319).
NOTE 5. =wêgs=, _wave_ (nom. pl. =wêgôs=, but dat. pl. =wêgim=);
=aiws=, _time_ (dat. pl. =aiwam=, acc. pl. =aiwins=), show a
tendency to merge into the =i=-decl.
§ 92. The =ja=-stems ar subject to the rules concerning the contraction
of the =ji= into =ei= (s. § 44, c and n. 1), according to which
there is a distinction between the words with long and those with
short stem-syllabls. Further exampls: (a) long-stemd and trisyllabic
(polysyllabic): =asneis=, _hired man_; =andeis=, _end_; =ƕaiteis=,
_wheat_; =sipôneis=, _disciple_; the words in =-areis= (Kluge,
Stammbildung, §§ 8. 9; ahd. gr., § 200): =laisareis=, _teacher_;
=bôkareis=, _scribe_, etc. (b) short stems: =niþjis=, _cuzin_;
=*andastaþjis=, _adversary_.
NOTE 1. =andeis=, _end_, has in Rom. X, 18 the acc. pl. according
to the =i=-decl.: =andins=.
NOTE 2. Only in the pl. occurs: =bêrusjôs=, _parents_ (§ 33).
NOTE 3. The acc. pl. =hlijans= (Mk. IX, 5) suggests the nom. sg.
=*hleis= (like =freis=, § 126, n. 2), _tent_. Cp. Zimmer, QF., 13,
308.
NOTE 4. A nom. pl. =silbawiljôs=, adj. uzed as sb. (nom. sg.
=*silba-wiljis=, _willing of one's self_; cp. =gawiljis=, § 126),
occurs in II. Cor. VIII, 3.
Neuters.
§ 93. Paradims. (a) pure =a=-stems: =waúrd=, _word_; =haubiþ=, _hed_.
(b) =wa=-stems: =triu=, _tree_. (c) =ja=-stems: =kuni=, _kin_.
Sing. N. =waúrd= =haubiþ= | =triu= | =kuni=
G. =waúrdis= =haubidis= | =triwis= | =kunjis=
D. =waúrda= =haubida= | =triwa= | =kunja=
A. =waúrd= =haubiþ= | =triu= | =kuni=
| |
Plur. N. =waúrda= =haubida= | =triwa= | =kunja=
G. =waúrdê= =haubidê= | =triwê= | =kunjê=
D. =waúrdam= =haubidam= | =triwam= | =kunjam=
A. =waúrda= =haubida= | =triwa= | =kunja=
§ 94. Like =waúrd= ar declined a very great number of neuter nouns; e.
g., =blôþ=, =blôþis=, _blud_; =gulþ=, _gold_; =juk=, _yoke_; =jêr=,
_year_; =haúrn=, _horn_; =sauil=, _sun_; =silubr=, _silver_; =agis=,
_fear_; =sáir=, _sorrow_; =maúrþr=, _murder_; =gras=, =grasis=, _grass_.
Exampls of words, like =haubiþ=, with a final hard sound for a medial
soft spirant: =dius=, =diuzis=, _animal_; =hatis=, _hatred_; =riqis=,
_darkness_ (§ 78, n. 1); =liuhaþ=, =liuhadis=, _light_; =witôþ=, _law_.
NOTE 1. According to § 42, the final =w= of =wa=-stems becums
=u= after a short vowel. There occur two words of this kind: the
paradim =triu= (=weina-triu=, _vine_) and =*kniu=, =kniwis=,
_knee_. No change after a long vowel; as, =lêw=, _opportunity_;
=fraiw=, _seed_.
NOTE 2. According to § 91, n. 2, it is doutful whether sum words
ar m. or n. The reasons givn there permit us to class words like
=þaúrp=, _field_; =maþl=, _market_, with the neuters; doutful ar
the forms =dal=, _dale_ (cp. ON. dalr), =lun=, _ransom_ (or =lûns=,
cp. § 15, n. 1).
NOTE 3. The word =guþ=, which is neuter in form, is uzed as m.
when denoting the Christian God. But the n. pl. =guda= (_heathen_)
_gods_ (cp. § 74, n. 4), is stil uzed. The inflection of the sg.
is uncertain, because only abbreviated forms (§ 1, n. 4) occur:
=g̅þ̅=, =g̅þ̅s̅=, =g̅þ̅a̅=. As ful forms ar givn: nom. acc.
=guþ=, gen. =guþs=, dat. =guþa=, tho we should expect the gen.
=gudis=, dat. =guda=. If the gen. form =guþs= is correct, the word
=guþ= would belong to the consonantal stems (§ 114 et seq.).--In
composition =guda-= and =guþa-=; s. § 88ᵃ, n. 1.
NOTE 4. =fadrein=, '_paternity_', in the sense of '_parents_', may
be uzed as an indeclinabl pl. with the art.: =þai fadrein=, =þans
fadrein=. But also the regular neuter pl. =fadreina= occurs in the
sense of '_parents_'. The fem. =fadreins=, _lineage, family_, is a
separate word (§ 103).--Cp. J. Schmidt, 'Indog. Neutra', 14.
NOTE 5. The gen. of =hatis=, _hatred_, occurs onse (in cod. B)
as =hatis= (a consonantal form); Eph. II, 3 (=hatizê= in A). For
a different view, s. Wrede, 'Ostg.', 77.--Concerning the neuters
in =-is=, s. v. Bahder, 'Verbalabstracta', 52 et seq.; Kluge,
Stammbild., §§ 84. 145; Brgm., II, 419 et seq. Cp. also § 78, n. 3.
§ 95. Like =kuni= ar declined both short and long =ja=-stems; e. g.,
=badi=, _bed_; =nati=, _net_; =faírguni=, _mountain_; =gawi=, =gaujis=,
_province_ (§ 42, n. 2); =taui=, =tôjis=, _deed_ (§ 26); =reiki=,
=reikjis=, _kingdom_; =arbi=, =arbjis=, _inheritance_; =galigri=,
_consummation of marriage_; =gawaúrki=, _business_; =garûni=,
_counsel_; =andwaírþi=, _presence_.
NOTE 1. Beside =-jis= a contracted gen. in =-eis= (cp. § 44, c; §
92) is found in but a few long and short stems; as, =trausteis=
(nom. =trausti=, _cuvenant_); Eph. II, 12; =andbahti=, _office_,
has the gen. =andbahtjis= (3 times) beside =andbahteis= (onse);
Lu. I, 23; =gawaírþi=, _peace_, has =gawaírþjis= (6 times),
=gawaírþeis= (3 times); =waldufni=, _power_, has =waldufneis=
(Skeir., 49) beside =waldufnjis= (twice).