Page:Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader.djvu/31

 INFLECTION: DECLENSION. XXV 26. (5) Dissyllabic themes : heafod, head; nieten (nyten), animal; wǣpen, weapon; wæter, water. S.N.A. heafod G. heafdes D.I. heafde nieten nietenes metene wǣpen wǣpnes wǣpne wæter wæteres wætere P.N.A. heaf(o)du G. heafda D.I. heafdum nietenu nietena nietenum wǣpnu, -en wǣpna wǣpnum wæter, -u wætera wæterum 27. The middle vowel is generally syncopated after long radical syllable (heafdes, wǣpnes); it is retained ifter a short radical syllable (wæteres), and in some words in -en having a long radical syllable (nietenes). The case-ending u (o, a) of the nom. ace. pi. gener- ally remains after a long radical syllable (heaf(o)du, nietenu), and disappears when the radical syllable is short (wæter). NOTE. Usage is not uniform in the treatment of either the middle, vowel or the case-ending u. MASCULINE AND NEUTER JO-STEMS. 28. (a) Monosyllabic themes : Masculine, hierde, shepherd ; h^re, army ; hrycg, ridge. Neuter, -wite, punishment; cynn, kin. S.N.A. hierde (13, f) h<jre(13,a) hrycg(12) wite cyn(n)(12) G. hierdes h$r(i)ges(lO,3) hrycges wites cynnes D.I. hierde h^r(i)ge hrycge wite cynne P.N.A. hierdas h^r(i)g(e)as hrycgas witu cyn(n) G. hierda h^r(i)g(e)a hrycga wita cynna D.I. hierduni h^r(i)guin hrycgum vitum cynnum 29. Nouns in -jo (= io after a long radical syllable, 11, Note 2) have umlaut of the radical vowel (if it be a vowel that can be affected by umlaut), and gemination