H. W. Smyth

Greek Grammar (First Edition)

Part 2, §§228-240


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53


SECOND DECLENSION (STEMS IN ο)


228. O stems in the nominative add to the stem in masculines and feminines; in neuters. The feminines, of which there are few, are declined like the masculines. In the neuters, nominative, vocative, and accusative singular have the same form (in -ο-ν); in the plural these cases end in -α.

229.

TABLE OF THE UNION OF THE CASE ENDINGS WITH

THE STEM VOWEL

SINGULAR

DUAL

PLURAL

Masc. and Fem.

Neuter

Masc., Fem., and Neuter

Masc. and Fem.

Neuter

Nom.

ο-ς

ο-ν

N. A. V.

ω

Nom.

ο-ι

Gen.

ου (for ο-(ι)ο)

G. D.

ο-ιν

Gen.

ων

Dat.

(for ο-ι)

Dat.

ο-ις or ο-ισι(ν)

Acc.

ο-ν

Acc.

ους (for ο-νς)

Voc.

ε

ο-ν

Voc.

ο-ι

a. Final -οι is treated as short (169).

b. The dat. sing. in -ῳ represents the union of the stem vowel -ο and ει or αι, the original case ending in the I. E. languages.  Forms in -οι, as οἴκοι at home, may be locatives (-ο ̈ ι, the locative ending). – The stem vowel ο varies with ε, which appears in the vocative sing., and in πανδημεί (locative) in full force. –  N. A. V. dual is for I. E. ōu. – The genitive pl. -ων is due to the union of -ο ̈ ων, which contracted to -ων in the earliest period of the language. – The neuter plural is probably the relic of a feminine collective ending in -ᾱ, which was shortened to -ᾰ.

230. The dialects show various forms.

singular

ὁ ἵππος horse

ὁ ἄνθρωπος man

ἡ ὁδός way

τὸ δῶρον gift

(ἱππο-)

(ἀνθρωπο-)

(ὁδο-)

(δωρο-)

Nom.

ἵππο-ς

ἄνθρωπο-ς

ὁδό-ς

δῶρο-ν

Gen.

ἵππου

ἀνθρώπου

ὁδοῦ

δώρου

Dat.

ἵππῳ

ἀνθρώπῳ

ὁδῷ

δώρῳ

Acc.

ἵππο-ν

ἄνθρωπο-ν

ὁδό-ν

δῶρο-ν

Voc.

ἵππε

ἄνθρωπε

ὁδέ

δῶρο-ν


54

dual

ὁ ἵππος horse

ὁ ἄνθρωπος man

ἡ ὁδός way

τὸ δῶρον gift

(ἱππο-)

(ἀνθρωπο-)

(ὁδο-)

(δωρο-)

N. A. V.

ἵππω

ἀνθρώπω

ὁδώ

δώρω

G. D.

ἵπποιν

ἀνθρώποιν

ὁδοῖν

δώροιν

plural

N. V.

ἵπποι

ἄνθρωποι

ὁδοί

δῶρα

Gen.

ἵππων

ἀνθρώπων

ὁδῶν

δώρων

Dat.

ἵπποις

ἀνθρώποις

ὁδοῖς

δώροις

Acc.

ἵππους

ἀνθρώπους

ὁδούς

δῶρα

Masculine:  λόγος word, δῆμος people, δοῦλος slave, κίνδῡνος danger, πόλεμος war; ἀγρός field, ποταμός river, ἀριθμός number. Feminine:  νῆσος island, ἤπειρος mainland; ὁ(ἡ) τροφός nurse.  Neuter:  ἔργον work, πτερόν wing, δεῖπνον dinner.

232. Feminines. – a. See 197 for νυός daughter-in-law; see 199 for νῆσος island (cp. 200 c), Δῆλος (the island of) Delos, Κόρινθος Corinth, φηγός (acornbearing) oak, ἄμπελος vine.

b. Some are properly adjectives used substantively:  διάλεκτος (scil. γλῶττα speech) dialect, διάμετρος (scil. γραμμή line) diameter, αὔλειος (scil. θύρᾱ door) house-door, σύγκλητος (scil. βουλή council) legislative body, ἔρημος and ἤπειρος (scil. χώρᾱ country) desert and mainland.

c. Words for wayὁδός and κέλευθος way; and ἁμαξιτός carriage-road, ἀτραπός foot-path, which may be adjectival (b) with ὁδός omitted.

d. Various other words: βάσανος touch-stone, βίβλος book, γέρανος crane, γνάθος jaw, γύψος chalk, δέλτος writing-tablet, δοκός beam, δρόσος dew, κάμῑνος oven, κάρδοπος kneading-trough, κῑβωτός chest, κόπρος dung, ληνός wine-press, λίθος stone (200 c), νόσος disease, πλίνθος brick, ῥάβδος rod, σορός coffin, σποδός ashes, τάφρος trench, χηλός coffer, ψάμμος sand, ψῆφος pebble.

233. Vocative. – The nominative θεός is used instead of the vocative.  ἀδελφός brother retracts the accent (ἄδελφε).

234. Dative Plural. – The ending -οισι(ν) often appears in poetry, rarely in Attic prose (Plato).

a. In Old Attic inscriptions -οις displaces -οισι(ν) about 444 b.c..


CONTRACTED SUBSTANTIVES


235. Stems in εο and οο are contracted according to 50, 51. εα in the neuter becomes (56).

singular

ὁ νοῦς mind

ὁ περίπλους sailing around

τὸ ὀστοῦν bone

(νοο-)

(περιπλοο-)

(ὀστεο-)

Nom. (νόο-ς) νοῦ-ς (περίπλοος) περίπλου-ς (ὀστέο-ν) ὀστοῦ-ν
Gen. (νόου) νοῦ (περιπλόου) περίπλου (ὀστέου) ὀστοῦ
Dat. (νόῳ) νῷ (περιπλόῳ) περίπλῳ (ὀστέῳ) ὀστῷ
Acc. (νόο-ν) νοῦ-ν (περίπλοο-ν) περίπλου-ν (ὀστέο-ν) ὀστοῦ-ν
Voc. (νόε) νοῦ (περίπλοε) περίπλου (ὀστέο-ν) ὀστοῦ-ν

dual

N. A. V. (νόω) νώ (περιπλόω) περίπλω (ὀστέω) ὀστώ
G. D. (νόοιν) νοῖν (περιπλόοιν) περίπλοιν (ὀστέοιν) ὀστοῖν

plural

N. V. (νόοι) νοῖ (περίπλοοι) περίπλοι (ὀστέα) ὀστᾶ
Gen. (νόων) νῶν (περιπλόων) περίπλων (ὀστέων) ὀστῶν
Dat. (νόοις) νοῖς (περιπλόοις) περίπλοις (ὀστέοις) ὀστοῖς
Acc. (νόους) νοῦς (περιπλόους) περίπλους (ὀστέα) ὀστᾶ

ὁ πλοῦς (πλόος) voyage, ὁ ῥοῦς (π̔όος) stream, τὸ κανοῦν (κάνεον) basket.

236. Accent. – a. The nominative dual is irregularly oxytone: νώ, ὀστώ, not νῶ, ὀστῶ according to 171, N. 2.

b. κανοῦν (κάνεον) basket receives its accent (not κάνουν) from that of the genitive and dative κανοῦ, κανῷ. Cp. 290 c.

c. Compounds retain the accent on the syllable that has it in the nominative singular: ἔκπλους from ἔκπλοος; ἔκπλου (not ἐκπλοῦ) from ἐκπλόου; ἔκπλων (not ἐκπλῶν) from ἐκπλόων.


ATTIC DECLENSION


237. Some substantives ending in -εως are placed under the Second Declension because they are derived from earlier ο stems preceded by a long vowel (-εως from -ηος, 34). A few others have a consonant before -ως. The vocative has no special form.

N.– This declension is called “Attic” because the words in question generally show -ως in Attic and -ος in the Koinθ dialect (p. 3, F).

238.

ὁ νεώς temple

singular

dual

plural

Nom.

νεώ-ς

(Ionic νηό-ς)

N. A.

νεώ

(Ionic νηώ)

Nom.

νεῴ

(Ionic νηοί)

Gen.

νεώ

(   “   νηοῦ)

G. D.

νεῴν

(    “    νηοῖν)

Gen.

νεών

(   “    νηῶν)

Dat.

νεῴ

(    “    νηῷ)

Dat.

νεῴς

(    “     νηοῖς)

Acc.

νεών

(    “    νηό-ν)

Acc.

νεώς

(    “     νηούς)


56

a. So ὁ λεώς people, ὁ Μενέλεως Menelaus, ὁ λαγώς hare. Observe that ω is found in every form, and that it takes ι subscript in the dative of all numbers where an ordinary ο stem has ι.

b. There are no neuter substantives belonging to the Attic declension in standard classical literature; but neuter adjectives (289) end in -ων.

c. νεώς and most words of this declension owe their forms to transfer of quantity (34) or to shortening (39). Thus, νεώς is from νηός ( = Doric νᾱός), νεών from νηόν; νεῴ is from νηῷ. λαγώς is contracted from λαγωός.

d. In the accusative singular some words end in or -ων, as λαγώ or λαγών hare. So ὁ Ἄθως, ἡ Κέως, ἡ Τέως, ἡ Κῶς, ὁ Μί̄νως. ἡ ἕως dawn always has ἕω.

239.  Accent. – a. The accent of the nominative is kept in all cases. Μενέ0εως (163 a) retains the accent of the earlier Μενέλᾱος.

b. The genitive and dative are oxytone when the final syllable is accented.

N. – The accentuation of the words of this declension is doubtful. Some of the ancients accented λαγώς, λαγών, others λαγῶς, λαγῶν, etc.


THIRD DECLENSION


240. This declension includes stems ending in a consonant, in ι, υ, or a diphthong, and some in ω and ο, representing ωϜ and οι.

N. – To determine whether a noun belongs to the third declension it is necessary in most cases to know the stem, which is usually found by dropping -ος of the genitive singular. Stems in ι and υ are classed under the consonant declension because neither of these vowels admits contraction with the case endings beginning with a vowel, herein being like a consonant.

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