§ 119. A number of foren words from the Latin and Greek wer fully
adopted into the Gothic language thru commercial and political
intercourse, so that their inflection is the same as that of purely
Gothic words; e. g., =pund=, n., _pound_; =marikreitus=, m., _perl_;
=Krêks=, m., _Greek_; =karkara=, f., '_carcer_'; =alêw=, n., _oil_;
=kaisar=, m., _Cæsar_.
§ 120. A second portion of foren words wer at a later period forced on
the Gothic language by Christianity and especially by the version of
the Bible. To these belong for the most part proper nouns which ar stil
felt to be foren elements and hav but imperfectly adopted the Gothic
inflection. For their treatment in Gothic no fixt rules can be givn.
Sumtimes they retain their Greek inflection, sumtimes they take either
similar or arbitrarily formd case-endings.--Cp. Bernhardt's 'Vulfila',
p. XXVIII, and especially M. H. Jellinek, 'Beitr. zur erklärung der
german. flexion' (Berlin 1891), pp. 76-84.
NOTE 1. Most consistent is the treatment of the Gr. masculins in
-ος, Lt. -us, which inflect in Gothic according to the =u=-decl.
(§§ 104, 105); e. g., =Paítrus=, =Barþaúlaúmaius=, =Teitus=,
=aípiskaúpus=, ἐπίσκοπος; =apaústaúlus=, ἀπόστολος; =aggilus=,
ἄγγελος; =sabbatus=, _sabbath_. But only in the sg. pl. forms
follow mostly the =i=-decl.; e. g., =apaústaúleis=, =sabbatins=,
=aggileis=, =aggilê= beside =aggiljus=.
NOTE 2. Greek case-endings ar retaind in the neuters
=alabalstraún=, ἀλάβαστρον; =praitôriaún=, πραιτώριον, etc.;
=Israêleitês= has the nom. pl. =Israêleitai= = Ἰσραηλῖται; Rom. IX,
4; or (with Gothic inflection) =Israêleiteis=; II. Cor. XI, 22.
NOTE 3. The following exampl may illustrate arbitrary inflection.
The Gr. ἐπιστολή is represented in Goth. by =aípistaúlê=
(nom. sg.). But the dat. sg. is =aípistaúlein=, the dat. pl.
=aípistaúlêm=, and the acc. pl. =aípistaúlans=.