Chapter I: Nouns

1. _Number._—The plural is generally formed by adding _-es_ to the singular. Some few nouns make the plural in _-en_, as _feren_[49] (companions), _fon_ (foes), _goren_ (spears), _loten_ (features), _sunen_ (sons), _teten_ (teats), _tren_ (trees), _weden_ (garments), _wunen_ (laws). The plurals of _brother_ and _child_ are _brethere_ and _childere_. _Der_ (deer), _erf_, _orf_ (cattle), _got_ (goat), _neat_ (oxen), _sep_ (sheep), _scrud_ (garbs), _wrim_ (reptiles), of the neuter gender, are uninflected in the plural. _Winter_, _ger_ (year), and _nigt_ (night), are plural as in Anglo-Saxon.

2. _Gender._—As a general rule the names of inanimate things are of the neuter gender. The names of towns, however, are considered as masculine.

3. _Case._—The genitive singular and plural of masculine and feminine nouns end in _-es_. Occasionally proper nouns form the genitive in _-is_. The means or instrument occasionally stands in the genitive without the preposition: '_deades_ driuen,' influenced by death; '_swerdes_ slagen,' slain of the sword; '_teres_ wet,' wet with tears. Cf. '_floures bred_,' bread made with flour; '_bredes_ mel,' meal consisting of bread; '_wines_ drinc,' drink consisting of wine.

Corresponding to the modern word _kinsmen_ we have such forms as '_daiges-ligt_' (daylight), '_hines-folk_' (servants), '_wifeskin_' (women). The genitive is used adverbially, as _newes_, anew; _liues_, alive.

We have a few traces of the genitive in _-e_ in the following examples: '_helle_ nigt,' l. 89 (hell's night); '_helle_ bale,' l. 2525 (hell's bale); '_sterre_ name,' l. 134 (star's name); '_safte_ same,' l. 349 (shame of form); '_werlde_ nigt,' l. 1318 (world's night).[50]

The genitive of _fader_ and _moder_ is, as is very seldom the case in Early English writers, _fadres_ and _modres_.

An _n_ is often added to the final _-e_ (representing an A.Sax. vowel-ending) in the nom., dat., and acc. of nouns. For examples, see p. xxi.