CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.

(_b_) #Neuter _a-_Stems.#

31. The neuter nouns of the a-Declension differ from the masculines only in the N. A. plural.

32. Paradigms of #ðæt hof#, _court, dwelling_; #ðaet bearn#, _child_; #ðæt bân#, _bone_; #ðæt rîce#, _kingdom_; #ðæt spere#, _spear_; #ðæt werod#, _band of men_; #ðæt tungol#, _star_:

_Sing. N. A._ hof bearn bân rîc-e _G._ hof-es bearn-es bân-es rîc-es _D. I._ hof-e bearn-e bân-e rîc-e

_Plur. N. A._ hof-u bearn bân rîc-u _G._ hof-a bearn-a bân-a rîc-a _D. I._ hof-um bearn-um bân-um rîc-um

_Sing. N. A._ sper-e werod tungol _G._ sper-es werod-es tungl-es _D. I._ sper-e werod-e tungl-e

_Plur. N. A._ sper-u werod tungl-u _G._ sper-a werod-a tungl-a _D. I._ sper-um werod-um tungl-um

33. The paradigms show (1) that monosyllables with short stems (#hof#) take -u in the N. A. plural; (2) that monosyllables with long stems (#bearn#, #bân#) do not distinguish the N. A. plural from the N. A. singular;[1] (3) that dissyllables in -e, whether the stem be long or short (#rîce#, #spere#), have -u in the N. A. plural; (4) that dissyllables ending in a consonant and having the first syllable short[2] (#werod#) do not usually distinguish the N. A. plural from the N. A. singular; (5) that dissyllables ending in a consonant and having the first syllable long (#tungol#) more frequently take -u in the N. A. plural.

NOTE.--Syncopation occurs as in the masculine a-stems. See § 27, (4).

[Footnote 1: Note the many nouns in Mn. E. that are unchanged in the plural. These are either survivals of O. E. long stems, _swine_, _sheep_, _deer_, _folk_, or analogical forms, _fish_, _trout_, _mackerel_, _salmon_, etc.]

[Footnote 2: Dissyllables whose first syllable is a prefix are, of course, excluded. They follow the declension of their last member: #gebed#, _prayer_, #gebedu#, _prayers_; #gefeoht#, _battle_, #gefeoht#, _battles_.]