Chapter XI: The Consonant Declensions of Nouns

#The Weak or _n-_Declension.#

63. The n-Declension contains almost all of the O.E. nouns belonging to the Consonant Declensions. The stem characteristic n has been preserved in the oblique cases, so that there is no difficulty in distinguishing n-stems from the preceding vowel stems.

The n-Declension includes (_a_) masculines, (_b_) feminines, and (_c_) neuters. The masculines far outnumber the feminines, and the neuters contain only #êage#, _eye_ and #êare#, _ear_. The masculines end in -a, the feminines and neuters in -e.

64. Paradigms of (_a_) #sê hunta#, _hunter_; (_b_) #sêo tunge#, _tongue_; (_c_) #ðæt êage#, _eye_:

_Sing. N._ hunt-a tung-e êag-e
_G.D.I._ hunt-an tung-an êag-an
_A._ hunt-an tung-an êag-e

_Plur. N.A._ hunt-an tung-an êag-an
_G._ hunt-ena tung-ena êag-ena
_D.I._ hunt-um tung-um êag-um

65. VOCABULARY.

sê adesa, _hatchet, adze_.
sê æ:metta, _leisure_ [empt-iness].
sê bona (bana), _murderer_ [bane].
sêo cirice, _church_ [Scotch kirk].
sê cnapa (later, #cnafa#), _boy_ [knave].
sê cuma, _stranger_ [comer].
ðæt êare, _ear_.
sêo eorðe, _earth_.
sê gefêra, _companion_ [co-farer].
sê guma, _man_ [bride-groom[1]].
sêo heorte, _heart_.
sê môna, _moon_.
sêo næ:dre, _adder_ [a nadder > an adder[2]].
sê oxa, _ox_.
sê scêowyrhta, _shoe-maker_ [shoe-wright].
sêo sunne, _sun_.
sê têona, _injury_ [teen].
biddan (with dat. of person and gen. of thing[3]), _to request, ask
for_.
cwelan, _to die_ [quail].
gescieppan, _to create_ [shape, land-scape, friend-ship].
giefan (with dat. of indirect object), _to give_.
healdan, _to hold_.
helpan (with dat.), _to help_.
sceððan[4] (with dat.), _to injure_ [scathe].
wiðstondan (-standan) (with dat.), _to withstand_.
wrîtan, _to write_.

[Footnote 1: The _r_ is intrusive in _-groom_, as it is in
_cart-r-idge_, _part-r-idge_, _vag-r-ant_, and _hoa-r-se_.]

[Footnote 2: The _n_ has been appropriated by the article. Cf.
_an apron_ (< _a napron_), _an auger_ (< _a nauger_), _an
orange_ (< _a norange_), _an umpire_ (< _a numpire_).]

[Footnote 3: In Mn.E. we say "I request a favor of you"; but in
O.E. it was "I request you (dative) of a favor" (genitive). Cf.
_Cymbeline_, III, vi, 92: "We'll mannerly demand thee of thy
story." See Franz's _Shakespeare-Grammatik_, § 361 (1900).]

[Footnote 4: #Sceððan# is conjugated through the present
indicative like #fremman#. See § 129.]

66. EXERCISES.

I. 1. Sê scêowyrhta bry:cð his æ:mettan. 2. Ðâ guman biddað ðæ:m cnapan ðæs adesan. 3. Hwâ is sê cuma? 4. Hielpst ðû ðæ:m bonan? 5. Ic him ne helpe. 6. Ðâ bearn sceððað ðæs bonan êagum ond êarum. 7. Sê cuma cwielð on ðæ:re cirican. 8. Sê hunta wiðstent ðæ:m wulfum. 9. Ðâ oxan berað ðæs cnapan gefêran. 10. Sê môna ond ðâ tunglu sind on ðæ:m heofonum. 11. Ðâ huntan healdað ðæ:re næ:dran tungan. 12. Hê hiere giefð ðâ giefa. 13. Ðâ werod sceððað ðæs cyninges feldum.

II. 1. Who will bind the mouths of the oxen? 2. Who gives him the gifts? 3. Thou art helping him, and I am injuring him. 4. The boy's companion is dying. 5. His nephew does not enjoy his leisure. 6. The adder's tongue injures the king's companion. 7. The sun is the day's eye. 8. She asks the strangers for the spears. 9. The men's bodies are not here. 10. Is he not (#Nis hê#) the child's murderer? 11. Who creates the bodies and the souls of men? 12. Thou withstandest her. 13. He is not writing.