nнetene
Acc. stбn scip bбn reced
nнeten
Plural
Nom. stбnas scipu bбn reced
nнetenu
Gen. stбna scipa bбna receda
nнetena
Dat. stбnum scipum bбnum recedum nнetenum
Acc. stбnas scipu bбn reced
nнetenu
This type of stems derived from masculine and neuter noun o-stems in Proto-
Indo-European. First when I started studying Old English I was irritated
all the time because I couldn't get why normal Indo-European o-stems are
called a-stems in all books on Old English. I found it a silly and
unforgivable mistake until I understood that in Germanic the Indo-European
short o became a, and therefore the stem marker was also changed the same
way. So the first word here, stбn, is masculine, the rest are neuter. The
only difference in declension is the plural nominative-accusative, where
neuter words lost their endings or have -u, while masculine preserved -as.
A little peculiarity of those words who have the sound [ж] in the stem and
say farewell to it in the plural:
Masculine Neuter
Sing. Pl. Sing. Pl.
N dжg (day) dagas fжt (vessel) fatu
G dжges daga fжtes fata
D dжge dagum fжte fatum
A dжg dagas fжt fatu
Examples of a-stems: earm (an arm), eorl, helm (a helmet), hring (a
ring), mъю (a mouth); neuter ones - dor (a gate), hof (a courtyard), geoc
(a yoke), word, dйor (an animal), bearn (a child), gйar (a year).
ja-stems
Singular
Masculine Neuter
N hrycg (back) here (army) ende (end) cynn (kind) rнce (realm)
G hrycges heriges endes cynnes rнces
D hrycge herige ende cynne rнce
A hrycg here ende cynn rнce
Plural
N hrycgeas herigeas endas cynn rнciu
G hrycgea herigea enda cynna rнcea
D hrycgium herigum endum cynnum rнcium
A hrycgeas herigeas endas cynn rнciu
Again the descendant of Indo-European jo-stem type, known only in
masculine and neuter. In fact it is a subbranch of o-stems, complicated by
the i before the ending: like Latin lupus and filius. Examples of this
type: masculine - wecg (a wedge), bуcere (a scholar), fiscere (a fisher);
neuter - net, bed, wнte (a punishment).
wa-stems
Singular Plural
Masc. Neut. Masc. Neut.
N bearu (wood) bealu (evil) bearwas bealu (-o)
G bearwes bealwes bearwa bealwa
D bearwe bealwe bearwum bealwum
A bearu (-o) bealu (-o) bearwas bealu (-o)
Just to mention. This is one more peculiarity of good old a-stems with the
touch of w in declension. Interesting that the majority of this kind of
stems make abstract nouns. Examples: masculine - snбw (snow), юйaw (a
custom); neuter - searu (armour), trйow (a tree), cnйw (a knee)
у-stems
Sg.
N swaюu (trace) fуr (journey) tigol (brick)
G swaюe fуre tigole
D swaюe fуre tigole
A swaюe fуre tigole
Pl.
N swaюa fуra tigola
G swaюa fуra tigola
D swaюum fуrum tigolum
A swaюa fуra tigola
Another major group of Old English nouns consists only of feminine nouns.
Funny but in Indo-European they are called a-stems. But Germanic turned
vowels sometimes upside down, and this long a became long o. However,
practically no word of this type ends in -o, which was lost or transformed.
The special variants of у-stems are jo- and wo-stems which have practically
the same declension but with the corresponding sounds between the root and
the ending.
Examples of у-stems: caru (care), sceamu (shame), onswaru (worry), lufu
(love), lбr (an instruction), sorg (sorrow), юrбg (a season), ides (a
woman).
Examples of jу-stems: sibb (peace), ecg (a blade), secg (a sword), hild (a
fight), жx (an axe).
Examples of wу-stems: beadu (a battle), nearu (need), lжs (a beam).
i-stems
Masc. Neut.
Sg.
N sige (victory) hyll (hill) sife (sieve)
G siges hylles sifes
D sige hylle sife
A sige hyll sife
Pl.
N sigeas hyllas sifu
G sigea hylla sifa
D sigum hyllum sifum
A sigeas hyllas sifu
The tribes and nations were usually of this very type, and were used always
in plural: Engle (the Angles), Seaxe (the Saxons), Mierce (the Mercians),
Norюymbre (the Northumbrians), Dene (the Danish)
N Dene
G Dena (Miercna, Seaxna)
D Denum
A Dene
Fem.
Sg. Pl.
N hyd (hide) hэde, hэda
G hэde hэda
D hэde hэdum
A hэd hэde, hэda
This kind of stems included all three genders and derived from the same
type of Indo-European stems, frequent also in other branches and languages
of the family.
Examples: masculine - mere (a sea), mete (food), dжl (a part), giest (a
guest), drync (a drink); neuter - spere (a spear); feminine - cwйn (a
woman), wiht (a thing).
u-stems
Masc. Fem.
Sg.
N sunu (son)feld (field) duru (door) hand (hand)
G suna felda dura handa
D suna felda dura handa
A sunu feld duru hand
Pl.
N suna felda dura handa
G suna felda dura handa
D sunum feldum durum handum
A suna felda dura handa
They can be either masculine or feminine. Here it is seen clearly how
Old English lost its final -s in endings: Gothic had sunus and handus,
while Old English has already sunu and hand respectively. Interesting that
dropping final consonants is also a general trend of almost all Indo-
European languages. Ancient tongues still keep them everywhere - Greek,
Latin, Gothic, Old Prussian, Sanskrit, Old Irish; but later, no matter
where a language is situated and what processes it undergoes, final
consonants (namely -s, -t, often -m, -n) disappear, remaining nowadays only
in the two Baltic languages and in New Greek.
Examples: masculine - wudu (wood), medu (honey), weald (forest), sumor (a
summer); fem. - nosu (a nose), flуr (a floor).
The other type of nouns according to their declension was the group of
Weak nouns, derived from n-nouns is Common Germanic. Their declension is
simple and stable, having special endings:
Masc. Fem. Neut.
Sg.
N nama (name) cwene (woman) йage (eye)
G naman cwenan йagan
D naman cwenan йagan
A naman cwenan йage
Pl.
N naman cwenan йagan
G namena cwenena йagena
D namum cwenum йagum
A naman cwenan йagan
Examples: masc. - guma (a man), wita (a wizard), steorra (a star), mуna
(the Moon), dйma (a judge); fem. - eorюe (Earth), heorte (a heart), sunne
(Sun); neut. - йare (an ear).
And now the last one which is interesting due to its special Germanic
structure. I am speaking about the root-stems which according to Germanic
laws of Ablaut, change the root vowel during the declension. In Modern
English such words still exist, and we all know them: goose - geese, tooth
- teeth, foot - feet, mouse - mice etc. At school they were a nightmare for
me, now they are an Old English grammar. Besides, in Old English time they
were far more numerous in the language.
Masc. Fem.
Sg.
N mann fуt (foot) tую (tooth) | hnutu (nut) bуc (book) gуs
(goose) mъs (mouse) burg (burg)
G mannes fуtes tуюes | hnute bуce
gуse mъse burge
D menn fйt tйю | hnyte
bйc gйs mэs byrig
A mann fуt tую | hnutu bуk
gуs mъs burg
Pl.
N menn fйt tйю | hnyte bйc
gйs mэs byrig
G manna fуta tуюa | hnuta bуca
gуsa mъsa burga
D mannum fуtum tуюum | hnutum bуcum
gуsum mъsum burgum
A menn fйt tйю | hnyte bйc
gйs mэs byrig
The general rule is the so-called i-mutation, which changes the vowel.
The conversion table looks as follows and never fails - it is universally
right both for verbs and nouns. The table of i-mutation changes remains
