Part 2 — CHAPTER XIII. Pronouns.
Reading edition
(1) Personal Pronouns.
72.
Paradigms of ic, I; ðū, thou. For hē, hēo, hit, see § 53.
Sing. N. ic ðū
G. mīn ðīn
D. mē ðē
A. mē (mec) ðē (ðec)
Dual N. wit (we two) git (ye two)
G. uncer (of us two) incer (of you two)
D. unc (to or for us two) inc (to or for you two)
A. unc (us two) inc (you two)
Plur N. wē gē
G. ūser (ūre) ēower
D. ūs ēow
A. ūs (ūsic) ēow (ēowic)
Note 1.—The dual number was soon absorbed by the plural. No relic of it now remains. But when two and only two are referred to, the dual is consistently used in O.E. An example occurs in the case of the two blind men (Matthew ix. 27-31): Gemiltsa unc, Davīdes sunu! Pity us, (thou) Son of David! Sīe inc æfter incrum gelēafan, Be it unto you according to your faith.
Note 2.—Mn.E. ye (< gē), the nominative proper, is fast being displaced by you (< ēow), the old objective. The distinction is preserved in the King James’s version of the Bible: Ye in me, and I in you (John xiv. 20); but not in Shakespeare and later writers.
(2) Demonstrative Pronouns.
73.
Paradigm of ðēs, ðēos, ðis, this. For the Definite Article as a demonstrative, meaning that, see § 28, Note 3.
Masculine. Feminine. Neuter.
Sing. N. ðēs ðēos ðis
G. ðisses ðisse ðisses
D. ðissum ðisse ðissum
A. ðisne ðās ðis
I. ðȳs —— ðȳs
All Genders.
Plur. N.A. ðās
G. ðissa
D. ðissum
(3) The Interrogative Pronoun.
74.
Paradigm of hwā, hwæt, who, what?
Masculine. Neuter.
Sing. N. hwā hwæt
G. hwæs hwæs
D. hwǣm hwǣm
A. hwone hwæt
I. —— hwȳ
Note 1.—The derivative interrogatives, hwæðer (< *hwā-ðer), which of two? and hwilc (< *hwā-līc), which? are declined as strong adjectives (§§ 79-82).
Note 2.—The instrumental case of hwā survives in Mn.E. why = on what account; the instrumental of the definite article is seen in the adverbial the: The sooner, the better = by how much sooner, by so much better.
Note 3.—How were the Mn.E. relative pronouns, who and which, evolved from the O.E. interrogatives? The change began in early West Saxon with hwæt used in indirect questions (Wülfing, l.c. § 310, β): Nū ic wāt eall hwæt ðū woldest, Now I know all that thou desiredst. The direct question was, Hwæt woldest ðū? But the presence of eall shows that in Alfred’s mind hwæt was, in the indirect form, more relative than interrogative.
(4) Relative Pronouns.
75.
O.E. had no relative pronoun proper. It used instead (1) the Indeclinable Particle ðe, who, whom, which, that, (2) the Definite Article (§ 28), (3) the Definite Article with the Indeclinable Particle, (4) the Indeclinable Particle with a Personal Pronoun.
The Definite Article agrees in gender and number with the antecedent. The case depends upon the construction. The bird which I have may, therefore, be:—
(1) Sē fugol ðe ic hæbbe;
(2) Sē fugol ðone ic hæbbe;
(3) Sē fugol ðone ðe (= the which) ic hæbbe;
(4) Sē fugol ðe hine ic hæbbe.
Note.—O.E. ðe agrees closely in construction with Mn.E. relative that: (1) Both are indeclinable. (2) Both refer to animate or inanimate objects. (3) Both may be used with phrasal value: ðȳ ylcan dæge ðe hī hine tō ðǣm āde beran wyllað, On the same day that (= on which) they intend to bear him to the funeral pile. (4) Neither can be preceded by a preposition.
(5) Possessive Pronouns.
76.
The Possessive Pronouns are mīn, mine; ðīn, thine; ūre, our; ēower, your; [sīn, his, her, its]; uncer, belonging to us two; incer, belonging to you two. They are declined as strong adjectives. The genitives of the Third Personal Pronoun, his, his, hiere, her, hiera, their, are indeclinable.
(6) Indefinite Pronouns.
77.
These are ǣlc, each, every; ān, a, an, one; ǣnig (< ān-ig), any; nǣnig (< ne-ǣnig), none; ōðer, other; sum, one, a certain one; swilc, such. They are declined as strong adjectives.
Note.—O.E. had three established methods of converting an interrogative pronoun into an indefinite: (1) By prefixing ge, (2) by prefixing ǣg, (3) by interposing the interrogative between swā ... swā: (1) gehwā, each; gehwæðer, either; gehwilc, each; (2) ǣghwā, each; ǣghwæðer, each; ǣghwilc, each; (3) swā hwā swā, whosoever; swā hwæðer swā, whichsoever of two; swā hwilc swā, whosoever.
