Philology 2 - Old English Grammar

Old English Grammar Cases, personal pronouns, pronouns, demonstrative demonstrative pronouns ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ‥ 2 Nouns, adjectives, adjectives, sound sound changes ……………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………. 3 Verbs ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………. 4  Adverbs, subordinating subordinating conj conjunctions ……………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………‥ ‥ 6 Correlative conj conjunctions, equently used words words ……………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………. 7 Pronunciation Pronunciation ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………… 8

© Peter Hofstee 2011

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CASES Nominative: Nominative:  Accusative:  Accusative: Genitive: Genitive: Dative: Dative:

Subject; Complement Complement (He is a man). Direct object; Prepositions. Possessive; Partitive (‘two of books’). books’) . Indirect object (‘She gave a cookie to him’); Instrument (‘I hit with a  book’); Prepositions.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

(Interrogative pronouns

First-per First-person pronouns

➛

Magic Sheet.)

Second-person pr unouns

singular

plural

singular

plural

nom.

iċ (I)

wē (we)  

þū (you)

ġē (you)

acc.

mē, mec (me)

ūs (us)

þē, þē, þec (you)

ēow (you)

gen.

mīn (my)

ūre (our)

þīn þīn (your)

ēower (your)

dat.

mē (me)

ūs (us)

þē (you)

ēow (you)

Third-person Third-person singular pr nouns masculine

neuter

feminine

plural

nom.

hē (he)

hit (it)

hēo (she)

hīe (they)

acc.

hine (him)

hit (it)

hīe (her)

hīe (them)

gen.

his (his)

his (its)

hire (her)

hira (their)

dat.

him (him)

him (it)

hire (her)

him (them)

DEMONSTRATIVE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS Demon trative pronoun pronoun th , that, t ose

Demons rative pronoun pronoun this, this, these

masc.

neuter

fe f em.

plural

masc.

neuter

fem.

plural

nom.

se

þæt

sēo

þā

þes

þis

þēos þēos

þā s

acc.

þone

þæt

þā

þā

þisne

þis

þā s

þā s

gen.

þæs

þæs

þǣre þǣre

þā ra, ra, þǣra  þǣra 

þisses

þisses

þisse, þisre

þisra 

dat.

þā m

þā m

þǣre þǣre

þā m

þissum

þissum

þisse, þisre

þissum

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NOUNS • Either weak or strong  see Magic Sheet • If noun ends in ‘-an’ weak   Athematic nouns: nouns: I-mutation I-mutation rather rather than inflections inflections (dat. sg. and and nom./acc. nom./acc. pl.) • Athematic ➛

➛

 ADJECTIVES (Can be both weak and strong, depending on the context.)  Weak  Weak

Strong 

If preceded by a demonstrative pronoun, possessive adjective or genitive genitive noun

Standalone (i.e. no demonstrative pronoun, possessive adjective or genitive noun)

If it ends in ‘-an’

Possessive adjectives (e.g. ‘hī ‘hīs sw ēord’)

 All ordinal numbers, numbers, except except ‘ōð ‘ōðeer’ (second)

‘ōðer’ ōðer’ (second)

 All comparative comparative adjectives.

SOUND CHANGES Fronting: • /a/ /æ/, unless followed by a nasal (m, n) or back vowel (a, o, u) in the next syllable. • /a/ followed by a nasal (m, n) /ɔ/ . Examples: *glas > glæs; *camb > comb; *land > lond. ➛

➛

Breaking: • æ ea, if followed by hC, rC or lC. Examples: fæht > feaht (hC); hærd > heard (rC); hælp > healp (lC). ➛

Palatalisation: • /g/ /j/ a ont vowel (i, e, æ) • /k/ /ʧ / if preceded by a  ➛

➛

I-mutation: u y; o e; an en; a  æ; Example: mū mūs (sg.) mūsi (pl.) mys (pl.) ➛

➛

➛

➛

➛

➛

3

e

➛

i;

æ

➛

e

VERBS  Weak  Weak Past tense: -d / -t

Strong

Anomalous

Past tense: no -d / t, change of vowel

bēon g ā  ān   dōn wi an

Past partic participle iple:: -d /-t Past partic participle iple:: -en -en

Preterite-present * Preterite-present * Present tense ‘looks like’ past tense of  strong verb. Past tense is formed w t - or -t can ^ could may ^ might shall ^ should

Strong in ModE, strong in OE: healde ^ heold held ^ hold  WEAK VERBS Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

Inf.: -an / -rian (e.g. emman)

Inf.: -ian (not -rian) (e.g. hopian)

Past tense: -e -ede / -de (short / long) (e.g. emede)

Past tense: -o -ode / -a -ade (e.g. hopode)

I-mutation of stem vowel Exceptions: secan (seek) and sohte (sought)

If there’s no u, o, a in the stem.

Examples: ‘lufa  ð’:  ð’: he loves (

➛

class 2); ‘hǣ ‘hǣla  ð’:  ð’: they heal (

libban (live) habban (have) cgan t n secgan (say)

➛

class 1)

* PRETERITE-PRESENT VERBS āgan. gan. possess . iċ iċ āh, þū āhst , hī hīe āgon; gon; past āhte. hte. cunnan. cunnan. know (how to). to). iċ iċ can, can, hī hīe cunnon; cunnon; past cūðe. ġ e; past dohte. dugan. dugan. be good (for something). something). iċ iċ dēag , hī hīe dugon; dugon; subjunctive duge, duge, dy ġ  dohte. durran. durran. dare . iċ iċ dearr, dearr, hī hīe durron; durron; subjunctive durre, durre, dyrre; dyrre; past dorste. dorste. magan. magan. may. may. iċ iċ mæġ , þū meaht , hī hīe magon; magon; past meahte, meahte, mihte. mihte. mōtan. tan. must, be allowed . iċ iċ mōt , þū mōst , hī hīe mōton; ton; past mōste. ste. ġ emunan. emunan. remember . iċ iċ ġ eman, eman, hī hīe ġ emunon; emunon; subj. ġ emune, emune, ġ emyne; emyne; past ġ emunde. emunde. ġ e-, e-, benugan. benugan. be enough. enough. hit ġ eneah, eneah, hī hīe ġ enugon; enugon; past benohte. benohte. sculan. sculan. must . iċ iċ sceal, sceal, þū scealt , hī hīe sculon; sculon; subjunctive scyle, scyle, scule; scule; past sceolde. sceolde. þurfan. urfan. need . iċ iċ þearf , þū þearft , hī hīe þurfon; urfon; subjunctive þurfe, urfe, þ yrfe;  yrfe; past þorfte, orfte, unnan. unnan. grant, give, allow. allow. iċ iċ ann, ann, hī hīe unnon; unnon; past ūðe. witan. witan. know. know. iċ witon; past wisse, wisse, wiste. wiste. iċ wāt , þū wāst , hī hīe witon;

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STRONG VERBS Principle parts Infinitive (e.g. ‘helpan’)

First past  (e.g. ‘healp’)

Second past  (e.g. ‘hulpan’)

Past participle (e.g. ‘holpen’)

The rest

1st p. sg. past indicative

2nd p. sg. past indicative (‘hulpe’)

Past participle

2nd / 3rd p. present indicative have Imutation (‘hilpot, hilp ð hilp ð’)’)

2nd p. sg. past indicative

Plural past indicative (‘hulpon’)

Past subjunctive (‘hulpe’, ‘hulpen’)

(1st/3rd p.)

(2nd / pl.)

Class

Infinitive

1st past

2nd past

Past part.

1

ī

ā 

i

i

2

ēo ū

ēa  ēa 

u u

o o

3

e i e eo

æ a  ea  ea 

u u u u

o u o o

 4

e

æ

ǣ

5

e

æ

6

a 

7

— —

➛

V+C

➛

V + CC (‘storfen’) V + m/n + C V+l+C V + r/h + C

o

➛

V + m/l/n/r (‘stolen’)

ǣ

e

➛

V + C (not m/l/n/r)

ō

ō

a 

(Easily recognisable by ‘ō ‘ō’)

ēo ē

ēo ē

— —

➛ ➛ ➛

Exceptions: ‘niman’ and ‘cuman’ are always class 4! VERB MOODS: Indicative (‘If I was a was a carpenter’), subjunctive (‘If I were a were a carpenter’) & imperative (gebiedende w ijs). 5

 ADVERBS  ADVERBS (Adverbs marked with * have corresponding conj co njunctions, see subordinating conj conjunctions.) Common adverbs ā ‘always’ ā  ‘always’ ā dūn⒠ ‘down’ ǣe ǣe ‘ever’ æer ‘a er’ ǣr ‘before’ * ætgærdere ‘together’ ‘together’ ēac ‘also’ eall ‘entirely’ e ‘a erwards’ fela ‘much’ feor ‘far’ for ð for ð ‘forwards’ for þā m ‘therefore’ * ful ‘very’ fur ð fur  ðum um ‘even’ ġēa ġēa ‘yes’ ġ eā ra ra ‘formerly’ ġīese ġīese ‘yes’ ġīet ġīet ‘yet’ heonan ‘hence’

hēr ‘here’ hider ‘hither’ hūru ‘indeed’ hwæ ðre  ðre ‘nevertheless’ ‘nevertheless’ hw īlum ‘at times’ in ‘in’ innan ‘ ‘om within’ nā ‘not ā  ‘not at all’ nǣe ǣe ‘never’ ne ‘not’ neo ðan  ðan ‘ ‘om below’ nese ‘no’ ni ðer  ðer ‘down’ nū ‘now’ * ofdū ofdūne ‘down’ o ‘o ‘oen’ on ‘on, in, forward’ si ððan  ððan ‘a erwards’ * sōna ‘immediately ‘immediately’’ sw ā ‘so’ ā  ‘so’ *

swelċ swelċe, swilċ swilċe ‘likewise, like, also, as (if )’ * sw īðe īðe ‘very (much), greatly’ tō ‘too’ þā ‘then’ þā  ‘then’ * þanon ‘thence’ * þǣr þǣr ‘there’ * þæs ‘a erwards’ þēah þēah ‘nevertheless’ * þenden ‘while’ * þider ‘thither’ * þonne ‘then’ * þus ‘thus’ uan ‘ ‘om above’ ūp ‘up’ ūt ‘out’ ūtan ‘ ‘om outside’ wel ‘well, indeed, fully’

Interrogative adverbs hū ‘how’ hw ǣr ‘where’

hwider ‘whither’ hwonne ‘when’

hwanon ‘whence’ hw  ȳ ‘why’  ȳ  ‘why’

SUBORDINA SUBORDIN ATING CO C ONJUNCTIONS æer þā m (þ (þe) ‘a er’ ǣr ‘before’ * ǣr þā m (þ (þe) ‘before’ būtan ‘unless’ for þam (þ (þe) ‘because’ * ġ if if ‘if ‘if ’ hwæ ðer  ðer ‘whether’ nemþ nemþe ‘unless’

nū ‘now that’ * o ð þæt ‘until’ si ððan  ððan ‘a er’ * sw ā ‘as’ ā  ‘as’ * swelċ swelċe ‘as ‘as if ’ * þā ‘when’ þā  ‘when’ * þā hw  þā  hw īle þe ‘while’ þanon ‘whence’ * 6

þǣr þǣr ‘where’ * þæs þe ‘a er’ þæt ‘that, so that’ þēah þēah (þ (þe) ‘though’ * þenden ‘while’ * þider (þ (þe) ‘whither’ * þonne ‘when’ * wi ð  ð þā m þe ‘provided that’

CORRELATIVE CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS æġþer ġþer … ġ e ‘both … and’ hwæ ðer  ðer … o ðð o ððee ‘whether … or’ nā þ ā  þæt ā n … ac ēac swilċ swilċe ‘not only … but also’

nāðor āðor … ne ‘neither … nor’ ne … ne ‘neither … nor’ þȳ … þȳ  … þȳ ‘the þȳ  ‘the … the’ (as in ‘the more, the merrier’)

þā … þā  … þā ‘when þā  ‘when … then’ þonne … þonne ‘when … then’

þǣr þǣr … þǣr þǣr ‘where … there’ sw ā … ā  … sw ā ‘as ā  ‘as … so’, ‘so … as’, ‘as … as’

FREQUENTLY FREQUENTLY USED US ED WORDS ægen ælċ ælċe ænig ac a þer o ðð o ððee … o ðð o ððee butan, buton cwæþ cwæþ ēode, -est, -on fea fela for þæm ġ eseah eseah g ōd hlā  hlā ford ford hwæt hw ǣt mā  my ċel, miċ miċel nan (negated)

own each any  but either … or without, except said ( cweþ cweþan) past indicative indicative g ā  ān   few  many  because saw  good lord, master what listen, lo more great, large, much, big, vast not one, nobody, none ( ‘ne an’)

næfde (negated)

did not have ( ‘habban’) not, nor (mind the double negation!) on, onto, upon, in, into, against, toward, at, om … and either … or … or to say, to tell are (pl.) ( ‘bē ‘bēon’) a er, since, when, a erwards he who immediately (not ‘soon’!) so as, as much as very, exceedingly  exceedingly  then … when however, yet then, than ➛

ne on (+dat./acc.)

➛

ond oþer … oþ oþer … oþþe, þþe, o ððe  ððe secgan synd, sind, sint siþþ siþþan an

➛

se ð se  ðe, e, se þe sōna sw ā sw  ā  sw ā  ā  swiþ swiþe, sw  ȳðe  ȳðe þa … þa þēah þēah þonne

➛

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➛

PREPOSITIONS æfter ǣr æt  be beforan betweox  binnan bufan bū tan tan ēac for fram ġ eond eond in innan mid of  ofer on onġēan o ð t ō ōġēanes t ōġē þurh under  ð wi ð  ymb(e)

a er, according to (+dat., sometimes +acc.) before (in time) (+dat., sometimes +acc.) at, om (+dat.); (+dat.); until, up to (+acc.) by, near, along, about, in relation to (+dat.) before, in ont of, in the presence of, ahead of (+dat./acc.) of (+dat./acc.) between, among (+dat./acc.) among (+dat./acc.) within (+dat.); (+dat.); to within (+acc.) (+dat.); upwards (+acc.) above (+dat.); outside, except, without (+dat./acc.) besides, in addition to (+dat.) before, in ont of, because of, in place of, for the sake of (+dat., of (+dat., sometimes +acc.) om, by (+dat.) by (+dat.) throughout, through (+acc., sometimes +dat.) in (+dat.); (+dat.); into (+acc.) in, within, om within (+dat.); (+dat.); into (+acc.) with, and, by means of (+dat., of  (+dat., sometimes +acc.) om, of (+dat.) of (+dat.) over, upon, throughout (+dat.); (+dat.); over, across, throughout, more than (+acc.) in, on (+dat.); (+dat.); into, onto (+acc.). (+acc.). (In West-Saxon, ‘on’ is usually where you would expect ‘in’.) opposite, towards, in opposition to (+dat./acc.) up to, as far as, until (+acc., sometimes +dat.) to, towards, at, for (+dat.); (+dat.); at (+gen.). (+gen.). (With dat., ‘t ō  ef ē  ō’  often is translated with ‘as’: t ō  ġ  ō  ġ ef  ēran  ran ‘as a companion’.) towards, towards, in preparation for, in opposition to (+dat.) through, by means of (+acc., of (+acc., sometimes +dat.) under (+dat./acc.) towards, opposite, against, in exchange for (+acc./dat./gen.) near, by, about, a er (+acc., sometimes +dat.)

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