Chapter 13

THE i-DECLENSION AND THE u-DECLENSION.

#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 hīe[1] 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. Hēo[2] (= 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 her[3] gifts in her[3] 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 his[3] fingers. 8. The Mercians were here during (the) summer (#on# + dat.).

[Footnote 1: See § 21, (1).]

[Footnote 2: Pronouns agree in gender with the nouns for which they stand. #Hit#, however, sometimes stands for inanimate things of both masculine and feminine genders. See Wülfing (_l.c._) I, § 238.]

[Footnote 3: See § 76 (last sentence).]