Chapter C: Minor Declensions

(REMAINS OF CONSONANTAL DECLENSIONS.)

§ 114. Nouns in =-r= denoting relationship. The words =brôþar=, _brother_; =daúhtar=, _daughter_; =swistar=, _sister_; =fadar=, _father_, hav replaced their old consonantal inflection in the nom., acc., and dat. pl. with the forms of the =u=-declension (§ 104). Paradim:

Sing. N. =brôþar= Plur. =brôþrjus=
G. =brôþrs= =brôþrê=
D. =brôþr= =brôþrum=
A. =brôþar= =brôþruns=

NOTE. Cp. the cpd. =brôþru-lubô=, _brotherly luv_ (§ 88ᵃ, n. 3; §
210, n. 1).

§ 115. The present participls in Gothic inflect like weak adjectivs (§ 133). An older (substantival) inflection, however, persists with sum participls uzed substantivly. Paradim: =nasjands=, _savior_.

Sing. N. =nasjands= Plur. =nasjands=
G. =nasjandis= =nasjandê=
D. =nasjand= =nasjandam=
A. =nasjand= =nasjands=
V. =nasjand= --

Furthermore: =fijands=, _fiend_; =frijônds=, _frend_ (> =frijôndi=, § 98), =daupjands=, _the Baptist_; =mêrjands=, _preacher_; =bisitands=, _neighbor_; =talzjands=, _teacher_; =-waldands=, _ruler_ (=all-w.=, _the Almighty_; =garda-w.=, _master of the house_); =fraweitands=, _avenger_; =fraujinônds=, _ruler_; =midumônds=, _mediator_; =gibands=, _giver_. Cp. Zs. fdph., 5, 315.

§ 116. +A number of feminins+ following in sum cases the =i=-decl. (=ansts=, § 102) appear in others as short forms which ar remains of an old consonantal inflection. Paradim: =baúrgs=, (_burg_), _town_, _city_.

Sing. N. =baúrgs= Plur. N. =baúrgs=
G. =baúrgs= G. =baúrgê=
D. =baúrg= D. =baúrgim=
A. =baúrg= A. =baúrgs=

Like =baúrgs= inflect also =alhs=, _templ_; =spaúrds=, _race-course_; =brusts=, _brest_; =dulþs=, _feast_; =waíhts=, _thing_; =miluks=, _milk_; =mitaþs= (=d=), _mezure_.

The word =nahts=, _night_, inflects in the sg. like =baúrgs=, in the pl. only the dat. =nahtam= is found. Cp. =nahta-mats=, § 88ᵃ, n. 3.

NOTE 1. =waíhts= and =dulþs= chiefly follow the =i=-declension;
hense, g. sg. =waíhtais=, =dulþais=. According to the cons.
declension occur onse each the dat. sg. =dulþ= and acc. pl.
=waíhts=. Beside =waíhts= there is a n. nom. sg. =waíht= in the
combination =ni-waíht=, _nothing_.

§ 117. Masculins with short (consonantal) cases: =manna=, _man_; =mênôþs=, _month_; =reiks=, _ruler_; =weitwôds=, _witness_ (cp. § 74, n. 2). But in point of inflection they ar not fully alike.

(1) =manna= follows in sum cases the =n=-decl. (=guma=, § 107). These cases ar here put in Italics:

Sing. N. _manna_ Plur. N. =mans=, _mannans_
G. =mans= G. =mannê=
D. =mann= D. _mannam_
A. _mannan_ A. =mans=, _mannans_

NOTE 1. To =manna= belongs the cpd. =*alamans= (_all men_),
found in the dat. pl. =alamannam= (Skeir.) only; also the neuter
=gaman= (_cumpanion, cumpany_) which inflects, however, in all the
extant forms (nom. acc. sg. =gaman=, dat. sg. =gamana=, dat. pl.
=gamanam=) precisely like =waúrd= (§ 93).

NOTE 2. In composition the stem =mana-= (=man-=) appears; s. § 88ᵃ,
n. 3.

(2) =mênôþs= and =reiks= follow in the g. sg. the =a=-decl.: =mênôþis=, =reikis=, but in the dat. sg. the short forms =mênôþ= and =reik= (Eph. II, 2) occur. In the nom. acc. pl. the short forms =mênôþs= and =reiks= ar uzed; gen. pl. =reikê=. In the dat. pl. =mênôþum=, but =reikam=.--Beside the nom. sg. =weitwôds= there occur the acc. sg. =weitwôd= and the g. pl. =weitwôdê=.

NOTE 3. The g. sg. =mênôþis= (Neh. VI, 15) is not quite certain;
Löbe red =mênôþs=.

NOTE 4. Here belongs also the nom. =bajôþs=, dat. =bajôþum=, _both_
(s. § 140, n. 1).

§ 118. The neuter =fôn=, _fire_, has this form in the nom. acc. sg., but =funins= in the gen., and =funin= in the dat.--No plural occurs. Cp. § 12, n. 3.

NOTE 1. Concerning the neuter genitivs =guþs= and =hatis=, s. § 94,
n. 3, and § 94, n. 5, respectivly.