Sievers Eduard. Grammar of Old English

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DECLENSION

ADJECTIVES.

167

fyrn,

old

(originally

i-stem,

the umlaut

shows),

and

many

others.

NOTE

1. Words in

ffweorh,

transverse,

ln'ali.

high,

hreoh,

rough,

woh,

wrong,

rtih,

rough,

drop

the h in

polysyllabic

forms

;

those

having

vowel

before the h

contract,

for

the most

part,

according

110

ff.

;

hence

ffweorh

ffweores

(242),

but

woh,

nom.

sing.

fem. w6

(for

wohu),

gen.

etc.

wos,

wo(u)m,

wone,

wo,

plur.

w6ra,

w6(u)m,

fem.

wore, etc.,

well

woges,

etc.

The

ace.

sing,

heah

generally

heanne,

rarely

heane,

very

seldom

heahne,

gen.

dat.

sing.

fem.

hearre,

gen. plur.

hearra,

along

with

heare,

heahre,

and

heara,

lira lira

(222.

;

dat.

heagum,

side

with

beam

and

heaum;

Ps. North,

he"h

(163),

but dat.

beam

from

*hehum,

ace.

heane

from

*hehona

(166.

5),

weak hea

from

*heho,

WS.

ruh has

gen.

rfiwes,

etc.

(cf. 116).

LWS.

forms with

are

very general

instead of the

contracts :

heages, wogum,

etc.

;

likewise

ruges,

etc.,

for

rfiwes.

This is

not

to be

regarded

grammatical change

(234)

but

result

analogy

from ad-

jectives

gen6h

genoges,

whose

h was

derived

from older

(214.

1).

NOTE 2.

Words

ending

in a

geminated

consonant,

grlmm,Jierce,

still,

quiet,

w<?nn,

dusky,

dimm, dark,

deall,

proud,

call, all,

simplify

the

geminate

(225)

before

any

termination

beginning

with a

consonant,

and,

as a

rule,

when

final:

grlm(m),

grimme,

grimre,

grlinra,

but

grimmes, grimmum,

etc.

Nevertheless,

11 often remains before con-

sonants

eallre, eallra, eallne,

etc.

NOTE

3. In the later

texts, -ere, -era,

are the

regular

forms,

even

after

long

stems

g6dere,

g6dera,

etc.

296. To

the

polysyllables,

which

are

declined like

hdiig

(North,

also

hgelig),

belong

the derivatives

-ig,

6&dig,

fortunate,

f&mig,

foamy,

lir^mig

clamor-

ous, mqnig,

many

(North,

also

in^nig);

-el, -ol,

l^tel, little,

inicel,

large,

yfel, evil,

linitol,

pushing

with

the

horns,

sticol,

sharp,

sweotol,

manifest;

-er, -or,

fseger,

fair,

biter,

bitter, bitter,

snotor, snottor,

wise;

-en,

hseaFen, heathenish, grilpen,

boastful;

besides

the

adjectives

denoting

material,

gylden,

golden,

fren,

iron,

stsenen,

stone,

the

past

part,

verbs

(306),

and

many

others.

168

INFLECTION.

NOTE

The

polysyllables

with

the first

syllable

short retain

the

middle

vowel,

in all

forms,

whenever it

original

(144)

sweo-

toles,

sweotole

;

but not

always

when it arose

the nom. ace. from

syllabic

fsegeres

and

faegres,

etc.

the

contrary,

micel

and

lytel

are

always

treated

long

stems,

and

yfel

very frequently

;

that

is,

they

undergo syncope

of the middle vowel :

micles,

lytles,

etc.

the case

the

long

stems,

syncope

does

not

take

place

in the tri-

syllabic

forms of

the

nom.

sing.

fern, and nom. ace.

plur.

in the earlier

period;

hence

haligu

(micelu,

lytelu),

not

halgu;

not till later

do we

encounter forms

e6wru,

hlutrii,

etc. In the other

trisyllabic

forms,

having

termination

beginning

with a

vowel,

the

long

stems

should

always

undergo syncope

;

frequently,

however,

the middle vowel

has

again

forced an

entrance

from the

unsyncopated

forms,

the fre-

quency increasing

with the

lateness

of the

period.

Most

irregular

all

are the

adjectives

-ig

(which

often

appears

before

vocalic

ending

-eg-).

The fewest instances of

syncope

are

formed in the

past

part,

-en.

NOTE

2. The accusative

ending

-ne

attached

immediately

to the

adjective

endings

-en,

and

the

endings

-re,

-ra,

to those

in -er:

gyldenne,

irenne

; faegerre,

snotterra,

etc.

Now and

then,

especially

in later

OE.,

the

nn,

rr,

are

simplified

(225. 2),

and in LWS.

the

middle vowel

may

be lost

(145).

jo-stems.

297.

Stems

originally

short,

mid, middle, nyt,

useful,

gesib,

(cf.

Goth,

midjis, gasibjis),

are declined

all

respects

like the

pure

o-stems

ending

in a

geminated

consonant

(295.

note

inid,

gen.

middes,

fern,

midre,

etc.

NOTE 1.

niwe

(niewe),

new,

with

its alternative

ne"owe

(Goth,

.iiiujis

which

originally belonged

here,

has

-e

the nom.

the

long

stems,

and

retains

its w

even before

consonants

niwne,

niwre,

niwra

;

neowne,

etc.

NOTE 2.

frio,

free,

Ps.

frea,

stem

frijo-,

contracts the

vowel

root

and

suffix in

the

nom.

sing.,

but

originally

retained

the uncon-

tracted form in

the

polysyllabic

cases

frio,

gen. friges,

dat.

frigum,

plur. frige,

etc. Yet forms

modelled

directly

on the contract

nom.

are

the rule in

WS.

gen.

dat.

sing.

fern,

friore,

gen. plur.

friora,

ace.

sing.

muse,

frfone,

nom.

ace.

plur.

masc.

frio,

etc.

The forms frioh.

freoh,

are new formations in

(295.

note

1).

DECLENSION OF

ADJECTIVES.

169

298.

Stems

originally

long

take

-e

the nom.

sing,

masc. and

neut.

;

they

have

-u,

-o in

the nom.

sing.

fern,

and

nom.

ace.

plur.

neut.,

and in

other

respects

are

de-

clined

like the

pure

o-stems.

Paradigm

gr^ne,

green.

MASC.

NKUT.

FKM.

Sing.

N.V.

grene

gre"ne

grenu,

-o

grenes

grenre

grenum

gre'nre

grenne

grene

Plur. N.V. A.

grene

grenu,

-o

grena,

-e

grfcnra

grenum

NOTE.

Words with

mute

liquid

or nasal

before the

gifre,

syfre, fsecne,

insert a vowel

before the

when

unlike consonant

follows:

syferne,

ftfccenra

;

the

other

hand,

ace.

sing.

masc.

fsfecne

for

*feecnne,

gen. plur.

syfra

for

*syfrra,

etc.

Adjectives ending

-nne

not

add

n in the ace.

sing.

masc.

299.

This declension is

followed

tolerably

large

number of OE.

adjectives. Examples

blfffe, blithe,

br4me,

famous,

cne, bold,

dierne, secret, dr^g-e,

dry,

ierre,

angry,

fsfccne,

deceitful,

s^fte,

soft,

swte,

sweet,

s^fre,

sober;

besides

verbal

adjectives

grange,

cur-

rent,

gengfcme,

acceptable,

and a

large

number

ending

-bsfcre,

bearing,

-ede,

-ed,

and

-ihte,

-y,

waestmbsfcre,

fruitful,

lidcede,

curved,

sttfenihte,

stony.

NOTE 1.

few

adjectives

fluctuate

between this declension

and

that

of the

simple

o-stems:

e.y.,

siiioH

and

smylte,

serene;

strQng

and

strange, strong

;

1;(-<1 and

unleede,

wretched

;

s6fte

and

sefte,

soft.

NOTE 2.

Not a few

adjectives

have been

transferred

to this from

the

or u-declension

(302

ff.).

-wo-stems.

300.

The

words

with a

single

consonant before

the

vocalize

the

latter when

final to

-o,

-u

(-a),

and before

170 INFLECTION.

a consonantal termination

to -o.

Here

belong,

for

ex-

ample

earu,

active, gearu,

ready,

mearu,

tender, uearu,

narrow, calu, callow,

cylu(?),

spotted,

fealu,

fallow,

salu, sallow,

geolu,

yellow,

basu,

foe(o)su,

brown, hasu,

gray.

They

are declined

as follows

MASC. NEUT.

FEM.

Sing.

N.V.

gearu

gearu,

-o

gearu,

-o

gearwes

gearore

gearwum

gearore

gearone gearu,

-o

gearwe

Plur. N.V.

gearwe

gearu gearwa,

-e

gearora

gearwum

NOTE.

middle

vowel

frequently

stands

before

the

gearowe,

gearewum,

etc.

sporadic

occurrence

is an ace.

fealuwne,

etc.

;

-uw is even found at times

the uninflected form

mearuw,

brun-

basuw, geoluw.

301. Words with a

long

vowel or

diphthong

before

the

w retain the latter

in all

cases,

and

hence

conform

in all

respects

to the declension

the

simple

o-stems.

Examples:

slw,

slow,

ged6aw,

dewy,

(ge)hle'ow,

shel-

tered, unhl^ow,

unsheltering,

gese"aw,

juicy,

gl<Saw,

prudent,

hne"aw,

miserly,

hre"aw, raw, re"ow,

rough,

r<5w,

gentle,

and

the

plur.

tant.

fe"a,

f6a,\ve,few;

these

may

be added

ateow(a), serving,

though

the

latter

usually

follows the weak declension.

NOTE. From

r6ow is also formed the

ace.

reone.

i-stems.

302.

Of short

stems

only

few

relics

are left

bryce,

fragile,

swice,

deceitful,

fre^ne, strenuous, geniyne,

mindful.

They

the

declension

the

origi-

nally long

jo-stems,

gr6iie

(298),

i.e.,

they

re-

DECLENSION

ADJECTIVES.

171

tain

the

simple

consonant in all

cases,

and do

not

insert

before the

vocalic termination.

NOTE.

The

long

i-stems,

whose

ought

properly

dropped

when there

is no

case-ending,

have

passed

over to the declension

the

long jo-stems

e.g.,

bryce,

useful,

sw6te, sweet, bliffe, blithe,

ged6fe,

suitable,

gemsene,

common,

cf.

Goth,

brtiks, stits,

bleijs,

gad6fs,

i us

;

the

only

exception

the

nom.

fyrn,

ancient,

which

may

regarded

the sole relic of the

long

1-stems,

with

possibly

lyt,

little.

u-stems.

303.

The

only

certain

relics of

the

adjective

u-declen-

sion

are

c(w)ucu,

alive

(for

*cwiocu, 71;

Ps.

cwicu(?),

North,

cwic,

164.

Poet.

OE.

cwic(u),

rarely

(c)wucu),

and

wlacu,

tepid.

c(w)ucu

stands for the

nom.

sing,

and

plural

all

genders,

ace.

sing,

fern.,

ace.

sing.

plur.

neut.,

and wk.

nom.

sing.;

wlacu for the

nom.

sing,

(and

ace.

sing.

neut.).

The

other cases are

formed from

cwic

(c(w)uc)

and

wltec

respectively,

except

ace.

sing.

masc.

cucim(n)e,

c(w)ucen(n)e,

cwicen(u)e,

etc.

NOTE.

The

long

u-stems have

mostly

gone

over to

the

jo-

declension:

cf. OE.

heard, hard,

gleaw,

sagacious,

with Goth,

hardus,

glaggwus;

gle,

troublesome,

hn^sce,

soft, tw^lfwintre,

twelve

years

old,

with Goth,

aglus,

hnasqus,

and twalibwintrus.

Occasionally

doublets are

found,

strqng

and

strange.

THE

WEAK

DECLENSION.

304.

The

weak

declension

adjectives

the same

that

nouns,

except

that

the

gen.

plur.

is almost

always

replaced

the

strong

form

-ra.

Paradigm:

gtfda,

the

good.

MASC.

FEM.

NEUT.

Sing.

N. V.

g6da

g6de

gode

g6dan

g6de

Plur.

N.V.A.

g6dan

godra,

(-ena)

g6dnm

172 INFLECTION.

NOTE

gen. plur.

-ena,

g6dena,

rarely

met

with,

and

perhaps

belongs

only

scholarly

translations like the Cura Past.

Other

variations

of the

gen. plur.

are

the

ending

-an

conformity

with the other

cases

;

contractions

sfeterna,

gearra,

uttra,

yldra,

for

seternena, gearr-ra

(307),

nterr(e)ra,

*yldr(e)ra;

besides which

the

gen.

is sometimes formed

-a,

that

strong

nouns :

feffer-

fota,

uplica.

In LWS. there

is a

sporadic

nom.

sing.

masc.

-an.

NOTE

2. The dat.

plur.

-an

frequently

occurs

early

period

instead

-uni,

g6dan,

ln'-ssan,

etc.,

advance of its

appearance

the dat. of

strong adjectives

and the dat.

plur.

of nouns

(237.

note

293.

note

3).

This is no doubt to be attributed to the

influence

the other cases

in -an. The

ending

-an,

wherever

occurring,

occa-

sionally replaced by

-on.

NOTE

some words

contraction

takes

place

: thus

hea,

gen.

hean

from

heah,

dat.

sing,

hrcoii from hre6h

; wo,

w6n from

w6h,

etc.

NOTE 4.

The

discrepancies

North,

are

essentially

the same as

those that have been

already

noticed under the weak declension of

nouns

(276.

note

2).

DECLENSION OF

PARTICIPLES.

305.

The

present

participle

has

adopted

in full

the

jo-declension

adjectives,

and

may

also

be inflected

weak.

Paradigm

the

strong

declension

giefeiide,

giving.

MASC. NEUT. FEM.

Sing.

N.V.

giefende

glefende

glefendu,

-o

glefendes

gtefendre

glefendum

giefendre

giefendne

glefende

Plur. N.V. A.

glefende

glefendu,

-o

giefenda,

-e

glefendra

glefendum

NOTE

When

used

predicatively,

the

past

participle

apt

to be

uninflected in

the

nom. ace.

NOTE 2.

For

the

declension

the

present participle

when used

substantive see

286

11'.

DECLENSION

ADJECTIVES.

173

306.

The

past

participle,

the

adjective,

has

both

the

strong

and

the weak

declension

;

e.g.,

from

ace*osan,

elect, n^rian,

save

Strong

Weak

NOTE 1.

The

nom.

sing.

fern, and

nom. ace.

plur.

in -u

are

rare,

and

are

almost

entirely

confined to

attributive use. In

the

predicative

posi-

tion the

uninflected form is

employed

acoren,

genejed.

NOTE 2. With

regard

syncope

polysyllabic

forms cf.

296.

MASC.

174

INFLECTION.

Superlative.

309.

The

shorter

form of the

superlative

ends in -ost

(likewise

-list,

-ast),

rarely

in -est :

e.g.,

le"of,

dear

le"ofost

;

heard,

hard

heardost

;

hwaet,

sharp

hwatost

;

rfce,

rich rfcost

;

sina-1,

small smalost

;

but

string, strange,

strong

strongest.

NOTE.

The

superlative

of sma-1

sometimes occurs

as smaelst

;

from

fea(we)

are formed feast

and fi-awost.

310.

The

superlative,

like the

comparative

(307),

but

seldom takes

i-umlaut: eald

ieldest,

lo.ng

longest,

string

strongest,

geong

gi(e)ngest

(Ps.

also

gun-

gesta),

sceort

scyrtest

;

lu'ah

has

hiehst, hylist

along

with

h^ahest,

heahst,

LWS.

he'hst(a),

cf.

101

(Ps.

lu-sta,

North,

he"sta,

heista,

166.

5).

NOTE. These

superlatives

with

umlaut have also

substitute in

-ost.

311.

With

regard

the

inflection,

the

strong

declen-

sion of

superlatives

almost

entirely

confined to

the

shorter

forms in

-ost, -est,

which stand for

the

nom.

voc.

sing,

and

ace.

sing.

neut. With this

exception, strong

forms are

rare.

The

superlative usually

follows the

weak declension.

As a

rule,

the

umlaut

forms have the termination

-esta

ieldesta,

le^igesta,

gingesta

; or,

rarely,

the

shortened

-sta :

hfehsta,

h^hsta

;

rarely

-osta,

in selosta

(312).

Even

those without

umlaut,

and

ending

-ost,

heardost,

le"ofost,

very frequently change

the

this

ending

into

as soon as the

word

receives

additional

syllable:

heardesta,

le"ofesta,

along

with

heardosta,

l^ofosta

(cf.

129).

Syncope

of the

is rare

the umlaut

forms

le.ngsta, yldsta,

and

belongs

LWS.

DECLENSION

ADJECTIVES.

175

Irregular

Comparison.

312. In a few

adjectives

the lack of a

regular

compara-

tive or

superlative

supplied by

forms

from a

different

root:

god,

good

comp.

b^t(e)ra, b^ttra superl.

b^t(e)st, b^tsta

sella,

srl

slost,

selesta

(-osla)

yfel,

bad

wlersa

wierrest(a),

wlersta

micel,

great

mara

m?est(a)

lytel,

small

lifessa

hfesest, -ast,

hfestfa),

Iserest

NOTE.

To mara

belongs

the neuter substantive

ma,

Ps.

rnse

;

simi-

larly

sella,

selra,

better

(North.

Early

Kent,

sselra)

belongs

sfel

(older

ssfel).

For

mgest(a)

the North, has

also

must

(a).

313. In a

few cases

the

comparative

and

superlative

are

formed

from an adverb

preposition,

default

of a

corresponding

positive

feor,far

comp.

flerra,

fyrra

superl.

flerrest(a)

lu'ah,

near

m'-ai-ra, neara

nfehst(a), nyhst(a)

sfer,

earlier

aferra

sferest(a)

fore,

before

furiffra

fyrst(a),

EWS.

fyrest

NOTE. For Ps.

n6sta,

North, nrst a.

neist^i,

sec

166. 5. LWS.

jichsta,

nexta, standing

for unilauteil

neahsta,

are

frequently

found

(101).

feor

sometimes

adj.

poetry.

314. From some

words there

formed

superlative

with an m-suffix.

This is

preserved

in its

simplest

form

only

forma,

the

first,

and in

liiiidema,

the

hindmost;

the others have

added the

regular

superla-

tive

termination

-est,

and

consequently

end

-mest

(-msest).

These

formations,

like the

preceding,

are

some

cases

derived

from

adverbs

and

prepositions

176 INFLECTION.

(siS, late}

comp,