1

33.]

INFLECTION.

27

2. There are three genders; the masculine, the feminine, and the neuter.

NOTE 1. The grammatical gender in Greek is very often different from the natural gender. Especially many names of things are masculine or feminine. A Greek noun is called masculine, feminine, or neuter, when it requires an adjective or article to take the form adapted to either of these genders. The gender is often indicated by prefixing the article; as (6) dvýp, man; (†) yvvý, woman; (Tò) Tрâyμa, thing: (See § 78).

NOTE 2, Nouns which may be either masculine or feminine are said to be of the common gender: as (ó, n) Oeós, God or Goddess. Names of animals which include both sexes, but have only one grammatical gender, are called epicene (πíkovos); as ò derós, the eagle; dan, the fox.

NOTE 3. The gender must often be learned by observation. But names of males are generally masculine, and names of females feminine. Most names of rivers, winds, and months are masculine; and most names of countries, towns, trees, and islands are feminine. Most nouns denoting qualities or conditions are feminine; as ȧperý, ́virtue, èλπís, hope. Diminutive nouns are neuter; as raidíov, child. Other rules are given under the declensions (§§ 35, 40, 58), and in § 129.

3. There are five cases; the nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and vocative.

The nominative and vocative plural are always alike. In neuters, the nominative, accusative, and vocative are alike in all numbers; and in the plural these cases end in α. The nominative, accusative, and vocative dual are always alike; and the genitive and dative dual are always alike.

NOTE 1. The cases have in general the same meaning as the corresponding cases in Latin; as Nom. a man (as subject), Gen. of a man, Dat. to or for a man, Accus. a man (as object), Voc. O man. The chief functions of the Latin ablative are divided between the Greek genitive and dative. See Remark before § 157.

NOTE 2. All the cases except the nominative and vocative are called oblique cases.

NOUNS.

§ 34. There are three declensions of nouns, in which also all adjectives and participles are included.

These correspond in general to the first three declensions in Latin. (See § 45, 2, Note.) The first is sometimes called the A declension, and the second the O declension; these two together are sometimes called the Vowel declension, as opposed to the third or Consonant declension (§ 45, 1). The principles which are common to adjectives, participles, and substantives are given under the three declensions of nouns.

NOTE. The name noun (ovoμa), according to ancient usage, includes both substantives and adjectives. But by modern custom noun is often used as synonymous with substantive, and it is so used in the present work.

FIRST DECLENSION.

η

§ 35. Stems of the first declension end originally in a, which is often modified into ʼn in the singular. The nominative singular of feminines ends in a or n; that of masculines ends in as or ns.

§ 36. The following table shows the terminations in all the cases of this declension. These consist of the final a (or n) of the stem united with the case-endings (§ 32, 2).

NOTE. Here, as in most cases, the relation of the stem to the terminations must be explained by reference to the earlier forms of the language. Thus, v of the genitive plural (§ 25, 2) is contracted from the Homeric άων (§ 39); and ou of the genitive singular comes from the Homeric ao (through a form eo) by contraction. The stem in a may thus be seen in all tne cases of οἰκία and ταμίας, and (with the change of a to η in the singular) also in all the other paradigms. (See § 45, 2, Note). The forms in a and ŋ have no case-endings.

η

§ 37. 1. The nouns (ή) τιμή, honour, (ἡ) οἰκία, house, (ἡ) χώρα, land, (ἡ) Μούσα, Muse, (δ) πολίτης, citizen, (δ) ταμίας, steward, are thus declined :

οἰκίαι

τιμών

οἰκιῶν

τιμαῖς

χώραι Μοῦσαι πολίται ταμίαι χωρῶν Μουσῶν πολιτῶν ταμιών οἰκίαις χώραις

Μούσαις πολίταις ταμίαις

τιμάς

οἰκίας χώρας

Μούσας πολίτας ταμίας

τιμαί οἰκίαι χώραι

Μοῦσαι πολῖται ταμίαι

The following show varieties of quantity and accent :—

θάλασσα, sea, θαλάσσης, θαλάσσῃ, θάλασσαν ; Ρ1. θάλασσαι, &c. γέφυρα, bridge, γεφύρας, γεφύρα, γέφυραν ; Ρl. γέφυραι, &c. σκιά, shadow, σκιᾶς, σκιᾷ, σκιάν, Ρl. σκιαί, σκιῶν, σκιαῖς, &c. γνώμη, opinion, γνώμης, γνώμη, γνώμην ; Ρl. γνώμαι, γνωμών, &c. πειρα, attempt, πείρας, πείρα, πεῖραν ; Ρl. πεῖραι, πειρῶν, &c.

2. Nouns ending in a preceded by e, i, or p; and a few proper names, retain a throughout the singular, and are

declined like οἰκία or χώρα (those with d like γέφυρα or πεῖρα). Other nouns in a are declined like Μοῦσα.

NOTE 1. The nouns in ŋs which have ă in the vocative singular (like πολίτης) are chiefly those in της, national appellatives (like Πέρσης, a Persian, voc. Πέρσα), and compounds (like γεωμέτρης, a_geometer, voc. γεωμέτρα). Δεσπότης, master, has voc. δέσποτα. Most other nouns in ης have the vocative in η; as Κρονίδης, son of Kronos, Κρονίδη.

NOTE 2. The termination a of the nominative singular is always short when the genitive has ns. It is generally long when the genitive has as the exceptions, which can always be seen by the accent (§ 22), are chiefly (α) most nouns ending in pa preceded by a diphthong or by v (as μοῖρα, γέφυρα), (6) most abstract nouns formed from the stems of adjectives in ηs or oos (as ἀλήθεια, εὔνοια), (c) most compounds in εια (as μεσό-γεια), (α) common nouns in εια and τρια designating females (as βασίλεια, queen, ψάλτρια, female harper): but βασιλεία, kingdom (with a).

NOTE 3. Av of the accusative singular and a of the vocative singular agree in quantity with a of the nominative. The quantity of all other vowels may be seen from the table in § 36.

NOTE 4. The nouns in ă always have recessive accent (§ 21, 3).

Contract Nouns of the First Declension.

§ 38. Most nouns in aa, ea, and eas, are contracted (§ 9). Μνάα, μνᾶ, mina, συκέα, συκή, fig-tree, and Ἑρμέας, 'Epuns, Hermes (Mercury), are thus declined:

NOTE 1. Bopéas, North wind, which appears uncontracted in Attic, has a contracted form Boppas (with irregular pp), gen. (of Doric form, § 39, 3) Boppa, dat. Boppâ, acc. Boppûv, voc. Boppa.

NOTE 2. For ea contracted to a in the dual and the accusative plural, see § 9, 3, Note. For contract adjectives of this class, see § 65.

Dialects.

§ 39. 1. Ionic 7, ns, n, nv, in the singular, for ā, ās, a, āv. Doric ā, ās, ạ, āv, for 7, &c. in the same cases. (See § 30.) The Ionic generally uses the uncontracted forms of contract nouns.

2. Nom. Sing. Hom. sometimes ǎ for ys; as inñóτa for iπwórηs, horseman. (Compare Latin poeta

=

ποιητής.)

3. Gen. Sing. For ov, Hom. ão, ew, sometimes w; as 'Arpeidao, ̓Ατρείδεω, βορέω : Hdt. ew, rarely έω for έεω (sometimes ew in old Attic proper names): Doric à (rarely in Attic nouns in as).

4. Gen. Plur. Hom. áwv, éwv (whence, by contraction, Attic ŵv, Doric âv); as ναυτάων, ναυτέων (Att. ναυτῶν) : Hdt. έων.

5. Dat. Plur. Poetic curt, Hom. ?, ?s; Hdt. ns ; asrupt, Μούσησι οι Μούσῃς (for Μούσαις).

SECOND DECLENSION.

§ 40. The nominative singular of most nouns of the second declension ends in os or ov (gen. ov). Those in os are masculine, rarely feminine; those in ov are neuter,

NOTE. The stem of nouns of this declension ends in o, which is sometimes lengthened to w: it becomes e in the vocative singular; and a in the nominative, accusative, and vocative plural of neuters.

§ 41. The following table shows the terminations of nouns in ος and ον in this declension, that is, the final o of the stem (with its modifications) united with the case-endings: