1) vocalic stems (a-, o-, i-, u—stems ) which represented strong declension;
2) n-stems which belonged to the weak declension;
3) s- and –r stems;
4) root-stems.
Declension of nouns
Strong declension (Vocalic stems)
a-stems
|
singular
|
M
|
Short-stemmed
N
|
Long-stemmed
N
|
Ja-stems
M
|
Wa-stems
N
|
Nom. fisc
Gen.fisces
Dat. Fisce
Acc.fisc
|
scip
scipes
scipe
scip
|
dëor
dëores
dëore
dëor
|
ende
endes
ende
ende
|
cnëo(w)
cnëowes
cnëowe
cnëo(w)
|
Plural
|
No.fisces
Gen. fisca
Dat.fiscum
Acc. fiscas
|
scipu
scipa
scipum
scipu
|
dëor
dëora
dëorum
dëor
|
endas
enda
endum
endas
|
cnëo(w)
cnëowa
cnëowum
cnëo(w)
|
Singular
|
Ö-stems
short-stemmed long-stemmed
F
|
i-stems
short-stemmed
M
|
u-stems
short-stemmed long stemmed
M
|
Nom. talu wund
Gen.tale wunde
Gat. tale wunde
Acc.tale wunde
|
mete
metes
mete
mete
|
sunufeld
suna felda
sunafelda
sunufelda
|
Plural
|
Nom. tala wunda,-e
Gen.tala(-ena) wunda(-ena)
Dat. talum wundum
Acc.tala,-e wunda,-e
|
mete,-as
meta
metum
mete, -as
|
sunafelda
sunafelda
sunum feldum
sunafelda
|
Consonantal stems
|
Singular
|
|
n-stems (weak declension)
M N F
|
Root-stems
M F
|
Nom.
|
nam aëare tunʒe
naman ëaran tunʒan
naman ëaran tunʒan
naman ëaran tunʒan
|
föt müs
fötes mÿs, müse
fët mÿs
fötmüs
|
Gen.
|
Dat.
|
Acc.
|
|
Plural
|
Nom.
|
Nama ëare tunʒe
Namena ëaran tunʒan
namum ëaran tunʒan
naman ëaran tunʒan
|
fët mÿs
föta müs
fötummüsum
fët mÿs
|
Gen.
|
Dat.
|
Acc.
|
The reduction of declension which began in OE continued in the ME period more intensively and affected the morphological system of the noun though not equally in different dialects. Most quickly it developed in the Northern dialect, followed by the Midland dialect, while in Southern dialects this process developed at a much lower rate. The effects of the reduction were as follows: the difference of grammatical gender was lost in Northern and Midland dialects, though gender distinctions remained to a certain extent in force in Southern dialects.
The distinction of strong and weak declension was also lost, only 2 endings proved stable – es of the genitive singular masculine and neuter a-stems, and the ending –as of the Nom., and Acc. Plural masculine a-stems. The Gen. plural also took the ending –es and it spread to all substantives.
Nom.
|
nāme
|
nāmas
|
Gen.
|
nāmes
|
nāmes
|
Dat.
|
nāme
|
nāmes
|
Acc.
|
nāme
|
nāmas
|
Only a few substantives which had mutation in the Nom and Acc. plural: men, fēt, gēs, and a few which had an unchanged form in the Nom. and Acc. plural, such as shēp, dēr, were not affected by the reduction.
While in OE the category of number is interwoven with the category of case, in MdE the expression of number is separated from that of case.
The process of eliminating survival plural forms went on in the 15th and 16th centuries. In some nouns the alteration of the voiceless and voiced fricative was eliminated, but in some was preserved: death- deaths, but wife – wives; with a few words two variants are possible: scarf-scarfs/scarves, etc.
A few substantives preserved their plural forms due to the weak declension or mutation: ox-oxen, child- children, brother-brothers/ brethren. Another type of plural was preserved in such words as sheep, trout, fish, etc.
The two-case system was preserved in MdE. The sphere of the Genitive Case was restricted to nouns denoting living beings and also some time notions: year, month, week, day. With words denoting inanimate objects or abstract ideas the Genitive was normally replaced by the phrase of plus substantive. In the Genitive singular the apostrophe was first used in 1680 and meant to denote the omission of the letter – e. In the Genitive plural it was used about 1780 already as a conventional sign.
The Adjective
OE adjective:
OE adjective had 3 categories: the category of number, gender and case. Like nouns, they could be declined according to the weak (n- stem) and strong declension (vocalic stem). Weak declension forms were used when the adjective was preceded by a demonstrative pronoun or the definite article; they are associated with the meaning of definiteness. In all other contexts forms of the strong declension are used. But strong declension of adjectives does not completely coincide with strong declension of nouns: forms of several cases correspond to declension of pronouns, so that strong declension of adjectives as a whole is a combination of substantival and pronominal forms.
Like adjectives in other languages, most OE adjectives distinguished between three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative. For the comparativedegree the suffix – ra (in Gothic –z), for the superlative –est/ost. Sometimes suffixation was accompanied by an interchange of the root vowel. E.g. soft – softra –softost; ʒlæd-ʒlædra – ʒlædost. Some adjectives had suppletive forms: ʒōd, bettra-be(e)st. The comparatives are declined as strong adjectives, the superlatives mostly follow weak declension.
ME adjective:
The disappearance of grammatical gender in nouns and the reduction of case endings led to a considerable change in adjective declension, too. The only case ending in adjectives came to be – e, and the OE adjectival paradigm was reduced to the following: strong declension – ʒōd, weak declension – ʒōde; plural – ʒōde, ʒōde. In Northern dialects declension was completely lost, and the adjectives became invariable. In other dialects – e became invariable: newe, trewe. Degrees of comparison were formed by means of the suffixes – (e)r, -est: grēt-grētter-grēttest, glad-gladder-gladdest. Several adjectives kept a mutated vowel in the comparative and superlative: old – elder –eldest; long- lenger – lengest; several adjectives preserved suppletive forms of comparison: gōd –bettre – best; litel- lasse –lest. In Chaucer’s works we can find such new formations of degrees of comparison as ‘more profitable, and ‘more faithful which are considered analytical degrees of comparison.
MnE adjective:
In Modern English the ending – e, which signaled the plural and the weak declension, was dropped. Thus MnE adjectives no longer agreed with their substantives in number. Other changes: 1) suffixes of degrees are used for monosyllabic and some disyllabic adjectives, while the phrases like ‘more profitable’ were used for the other disyllabic and polysyllabic adjectives. 2) in the 15th and 16th centuries mutation inthe comparative and superlative of some adjectives was eliminated: long – longer- longest. The only remnant of mutation is seen in elder-eldest, which have been specialized in meaning (but today is a strong tendency, perhaps influenced by US English, to use the common forms to denote family relations). A few adjectives came down to us with suppletive degrees of comparison. As for the analytical forms like ‘more profitable’ Ilyish thinks that they are not, because in Shakespeare’s works we come across the use of more + comparative in – er: more better, more braver. So they are simply word combinations, perhaps used for emphasis.
OE
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