Chapter 13 Nouns: the a-Declension

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Chapter 13

Nouns: the a-Declension

13.1. The a-declension (including also ja- and wa -stems) comprises masculine and neuter (no feminine) nouns with both monosyllabic and disyllabic bases. The greater number of masculine and neuter nouns in OE belong to this declension.

13.2. Masculine a-stems, monosyllabic:

S.N.A._stonestān daydæg horse mearh bird fugol
G._ ~ es ~ es mēaras fugles
D.I._ ~ e ~ e ~ e ~ e
P.N.A._ ~ as dagas ~ as ~ as
G._ ~ a ~ a ~ a ~ a
D.I._ ~ um ~ um ~ um ~ um

Note 1: Of the examples above, stān represents the norm; dæg1 illustrates the change of a ˃ æ (See 5.4.); mearh illustrates the loss of h (See 16.4.); the base of fugol is monosyllabic fugl-, and the o of the Nom. is epenthetic -- i.e., it comes in to facilitate pronunciation.2

13.3. Masculine a-stems,disyllabic:

S.N.A._property ēðel tub fǣtels heaven heofon
G._ ēðles ~ es ~ es
D.I._ ~ e ~ e ~ e
P.N.A._ ~ as ~ as ~ as
G._ ~ a ~ a ~ a
D.I._ ~ um ~ um ~ um

Note 2: Of these examples, ēðel illustrates syncope3 of e in the oblique cases; the e of fǣtels is not syncopated, however, because the syllable it is in is long; o is sometimes syncopated in heofon and similar words, usually not.

13.4. Neuter a-stems, monosyllabic:

S.N.A._ship scip word word vessel fæt cattle feoh startungol
G._~ es ~ es ~ es fēos tungles
D.I._~ e ~ e ~ e fēo ~ e
P.N.A._ ~ u ~ fatu tungol
G._ ~ a ~ a ~ a tungla
D.I._ ~ um ~ um ~ um ~ um

Note 3: Of these examples, scip and word represent the norm, differing from one another only in the P.N.A., where the -u is retained after a short syllable (scip) but disappears after a long syllable (word). For stem changes compare fæt with dæg, feoh with mearh, and tungol with fugol (Note 1 above).

13.5. Neuter a-stems, disyllabic:

S.N.A._head hēafod baptism fulwiht troop, multitudewerod
G._ hēafdes ~ es ~ es
D.I._ ~ e ~ e ~ e
P.N.A._ ~ u fulwiht werod
G._ ~ a ~ a ~ a
D.I._ ~ um ~ um ~ um

Note 4: For stem changes compare hēafod with ēðel, and fulwiht with fǣtels (Note 2 above)

13.6. The ja- and wa- stems follow the patterns above, respectively as Masc. or Neut., monosyllabic or disyllabic.

Examples:

Masc, monosyllabic,ja-stems:hierde,shepherd;here, army
disyllabic, ˊ :ǣfen, evening;fiscere, fisher
monosyllabic, wa-stems:þēow, servant
disyllabic, ˊ :bearu, grove
Neut,monosyllabic, ja-stems:wīte, punishment, cynn, kin
disyllabic,ˊ :wēsten, waste, desert; fæsten, fortress
monosyllabic, wa-stems:cnēo, knee
disyllabicˊ :searu, device

Exercise: For each of the PrehOE S.N. forms listed in the first column, supply the EWS form called for in the second column. (See also Ch. 16.4)

1.*farh, pig (Masc) S.D.
2.*hwal, whale (Masc) S.A.
3. *selh (˂ PrGmc *selhaz), seal (Masc) P.N.
4. *coss, kiss (Masc) P.D.
5. *pleh, danger (Neut) S.D.

Note that not only inflectional endings but some stem changes are involved.

Translation: Luke IX, 14-17

Ðā cwæð hē tō his leorningcnihtum, "Dōþ þæt hīe sitten þurh gebēorscipas fīftegum." And hīe swā dydon and hīe ealle sǣton.
Ðā nam hē þā fīf hlāfas and þā twēgen fiscas, and on þone heofon beseah, and blētsode hīe, and bræc, and dǣlde his leorningcnihtum þæt hīe āsetton hīe beforan þām menigum.
Ðā ǣton hīe ealle and wurdon gefyllode. And man nam þā gebrotu þe þǣr belifon twelf cӯpan fulle.

VOCABULARY
  1. ǣton, PastT of etan, to eat
  2. āsetton, PastT of āsettan, to set, place
  3. belīfan, to remain over
  4. beseah, PastT of besēon, to look
  5. blētsian, to bless
  6. bræc, PastT of brecan, to break
  7. cӯpa, basket

  8. dǣlan, to divide
  9. fīftig, (a set of) fifty
  10. gebēorscipe, feast, seated group
  11. gebrot, scrap
  12. leorningcniht, disciple
  13. sǣton, PastT of sittan, to sit (down)
  14. sitten, Subjunc. of sittan, to sit (down).
FOOTNOTES

1Mǣg, kinsman, usually P.N.A. māgas, exhibits a similar variation in a long base vowel (ǣ/ā). In a noun like geat, gate, P.N.A. gatu, there is a further change: [a > æ > ea], the last due to the initial palatal g (See 8.3).

2Epenthetic vowels develop before l, r, m, and n. Examples: nægel, nail (cf ON nagl); æcer, field (ON akr); māþum, treasure (Goth maiþms); hræfen, raven (ON hrafn). Note that the epenthetic vowel harmonizes with (i.e., is a front or back vowel according to) the vowel of the base syllable. (Such vowels are found in MnE dialect pronunciations such as [ɛləm] for elm, [hɛnərı] for Henry, [fılm] for filəm, etc.)

3Syncope is the loss of a vowel with weakest stress. It occurs at all stages of the language (cf MnE int'restng; Brit jewellery, US jewelry, both [ʼdʒuwılrı]; Brit. speciality, without syncope, US specialty with i syncopated) but it is not wholly uniform in its operation at any time.

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