2. Problems for discussion:
1. Morphological system of substantives
2. Stem-building suffixes
3. Types of stems
4. Declension of adjectives
5. Classes of pronoun
3. Grammar. The Substantive
The morphological system of substantives in
Germanic, as well as in other IE languages is based on
a common principle, which is not equally evident in all
cases. The gothic language, that is, the Gothic text of
the 4th century which has come down to us, shows this
principle more clearly than any other old Germanic
language. You must base your analysis on Gothic facts.
Because in those other languages the principle (Çàêîíû
ÿçûêîâûå) has been obscured by Latin phonetic and
grammatical changes.
The structure of a substantive in Germanic
consists of three elements: 1) the root, 2) a stem-
building suffix, 3) a case inflexion.
4. Types of Stems
In Old Germanic languages there are the
following types of substantive stems: 1) vocalic
stems: -a-, -o-, -i-, -u- stems. Declension of these
substantives has been called strong declension.
2) -n- stems. Declension of these is called weak
declension. 3) Stems in other consonants: -s-,
and -r- stems. 4) Root - stems. This is a peculiar
type: These substantives never had a stem-
building suffix, so that their stem had always
coincided with their root.
5. The Adjective
Declension of adjectives in Old Germanic languages
is complicated in a way which finds no parallel in other
IE languages. In Latin declension of adjectives does not
differ from that of substantives.
In Germanic languages from the earliest texts, things
are different. Declension of adjectives differs from that of
substantives in two-ways:
1. Every adjective is declined according to the strong
declension (with a vocalic stem) and to the weak
declension (with an -n- stem). Weak declension dorms
are used when the adjectives is preceded by a
demonstrative pronoun or the definite article, they are
associated with the meaning of definiteness.
6. 2. Strong declension of adjectives does not coincide with
strong declension of substantives: forms of several
cases correspond to declension of pronouns, so that
strong declension of adjectives as a whole is a
combination of substantival and pronounal forms.
In Old IE languages, e.g. in Ancient Greek substantives
with -n- stem are derived from adjectives, e.g. Greek
“Strabos” - adjective. ”Squinting” gives rise to “strabon” -
“squinting man” and hence the proper name Strabon (a
Greek astronomer and geographer of the 1st century
AD); platys adj. - broad - shouldered - platon “broad-
shouldered man” and hence the Platon of the Greek
philosopher (5th-4th century BC).
7. The Pronoun
In the early periods of history the
grammatical forms were built in the synthetic way:
by means of inflections, sound interchanges,
suppletion. The suppletive way of form-building
was inherited from ancient IE, it was restricted to
a few personal pronouns, adjectives and verbs.
Compose the following forms of pronouns in
Germanic and non-Germanic languages:
8. L Fr. R Goth OICU OE NE
Ego je ÿ ik ek ic I
Mei mon ìåíÿ meina min min my,
mine
Mihi me,
moi
ìíå mis mer me me
Germanic pronouns fell roughly under the same
main classes as modern pronouns: personal,
possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite,
definite, negative, and relative.
