Part 2 — CHAPTER IX. The i-Declension and the u-Declension.
Reading edition
The i-Declension. (See § 58.)
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]:
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
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
G. hiera
D. him
54.
Vocabulary.
(i-Stems.)
sē cierr, turn, time [char, chare, chore].
sēo dǣd, deed.
sē dǣl, part [a great deal].
ðā Dęne, Danes.
sē frēondscipe, friendship.
sēo hȳd, skin, hide.
ðā lǫndlēode, natives.
ðā Mierce, Mercians.
ðā Rōmware, Romans.
ðā Seaxe, Saxons.
sē stęde, place [in-stead of].
(u-Stems.)
sēo flōr, floor.
sēo nosu, nose.
sē sumor (G. sumeres, D. sumera), summer.
sē winter (G. wintres, D. wintra), winter.
sē wudu, wood, forest.
Note.—The numerous masculine nouns ending in -hād,—cildhād (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. 4. Hwǣr is ðæs Wēales fugol? 5. Ðā Dęne hiene habbað. 6. Hwǣr sindon hiera winas? 7. Hīe sindon on ðæs cyninges wuda. 8. Ðā Rōmware ǫnd ðā Seaxe hæfdon ðā gāras ǫnd ðā geocu. 9. Hēo is on ðǣm hūse on wintra, ǫnd on ðǣm feldum on sumera. 10. Hwǣr is ðæs hofes duru? 11. Hēo2 (= sēo duru) nis hēr.
II. 1. His friends have the bones of the seals and the bodies of the Danes. 2. Art thou the king’s son? 3. Has she her3 gifts in her3 hands? 4. Here are the fields of the natives. 5. Who had the bird? 6. I had it.2 7. The child had the worm in his3 fingers. 8. The Mercians were here during (the) summer (on + dat.).
