Appendix:Ancient Greek first declension: difference between revisions
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=First declension= |
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==Description== |
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Greek nouns of the first declension are feminines in -η, -ᾰ, -ᾱ (-ē, -ă, -ā), and masculines in -ης, -ᾱς (-ēs, -ās). |
Greek nouns of the first declension are feminines in -η, -ᾰ, -ᾱ (-ē, -ă, -ā), and masculines in -ης, -ᾱς (-ēs, -ās). |
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=Second declension= |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek declension appendices|1st declension]] |
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Greek nouns of the second declension are masculines and feminines in -ος (-os), and neuters in -ον (-on). |
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==Examples== |
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''Note:'' These examples are forms from the Attic dialect. |
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*Citation form: '''[[λύκος]], ὁ''' ''m'' (lycos) |
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*Citation form: '''[[ζυγόν]], τό''' ''n'' (zygon) |
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<!-- strictly speaking, ''m''/''n'' isn't necessary, but Wiktionary practice elsewhere warrants it --> |
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{| border=1 cellpadding=5 |
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! !! singular !! dual !! plural !! !! singular !! dual !! plural |
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|- |
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! nominative |
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| λύκ·ος <br> lyc·os |
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|rowspan=3| λύκ·ω <br> lyc·ō |
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|rowspan=2| λύκ·οι <br> lyc·oe |
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| |
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|rowspan=3| ζυγ·όν <br> zyg·on |
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|rowspan=3| ζυγ·ώ <br> zyg·ō |
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|rowspan=3| ζυγ·ά <br> zyg·a |
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|- |
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! vocative |
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| λύκ·ε <br> lyc·e |
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|- |
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! accusative |
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| λύκ·ον <br> lyc·on || λύκ·ους <br> lyc·ūs |
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| |
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|- |
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! genitive |
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| λύκ·ου <br> lyc·ū |
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|rowspan=2| λύκ·οιν <br> lyc·oen |
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| λύκ·ῶν <br> lyc·ōn |
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| |
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| ζυγ·οῦ <br> zyg·ū |
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|rowspan=2| ζυγ·οῖν <br> zyg·oen |
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| ζυγ·ῶν <br> zyg·ōn |
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|- |
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! dative |
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| λύκ·ῳ <br> lyc·ō(i) || λύκ·οις <br> lyc·oes |
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| |
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| ζυγ·ῷ <br> zyg·ō(i) || ζυγ·οῖς <br> zyg·oes |
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|} |
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=Third declension= |
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The Ancient Greek third declension (also known as the consonant declension) comprises the most diverse and potentially confusing forms of nominal inflection. The third declension does not have a stem vowel, as the [[Appendix:Ancient Greek first declension|first]] ({{polytonic|α/η}}) and [[Appendix: Ancient Greek second declension|second]] ({{polytonic|ο}}) declensions do. Since the stem vowels provide a sort of buffer between the stems and inflectional endings, the third declension is more prone to contractions and other irregularities than the other two. |
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==Etymology== |
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The third declension is the Ancient Greek [[reflex]] of the {{proto|Indo-European|consonant declension}}. A dash with nothing following indicates an unmarked inflection, that is, a bare stem. |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-s |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-h₁?, -e? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-es |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-s, -es, -os |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-om |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-ey |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-bʰos, -mos |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-m̥ |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-h₁?, -e? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-m̥s |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*- |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-h₁?, -e? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-es |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Instrumental'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-bʰi, -mī |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-s, -es, -os |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Ablative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-s, -es, -os |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-bʰos, -mos |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Locative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-i, - |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|? |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-su |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Neuter †'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*- |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|/ |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"|*-h₂ |
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|}</center> |
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<nowiki>†</nowiki> The neuter nominative and accusative in the singular and plural have a different inflection than masculine and feminine. |
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==Basic pattern== |
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In Ancient Greek the ablative and genitive have merged into a single case, a process already well underway in Proto-Indo-European. The dative, locative, and instrumental cases were all merged into the dative, which generally takes on the inflection of the locative. Consult the Wikipedia article on [[w:Indo-European sound laws|Indo-European sound laws]] to aid in understanding some of the Ancient Greek reflexes of PIE sounds, such as the perhaps non-intuitive PIE *m̥ --> Ancient Greek {{polytonic|α}}. |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ς |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ες |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-οιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ων |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ῐ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-οιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-σῐ(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ᾰς |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|- |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ες |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Neuter'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|- |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|/ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|-ᾰ |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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==Realizations== |
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===Stop consonants=== |
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In nouns which end with a [[w:Labial consonant|labial]] ({{polytonic|π, β, φ, ψ}}) or [[w:Velar consonant|velar]] ({{polytonic|κ, γ, χ, ξ}}) consonant, the pattern is fairly recognizable, as seen in {{term|πτέρυξ||wing|tr=pteruks|lang=grc|sc=polytonic}}. Note how the gamma and sigma merge into a ksi in the nominative singular and dative plural. |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρυξ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγες |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτερύγοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτερύγων |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγῐ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτερύγοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρυξῐ(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγᾰς |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρυξ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πτέρῠγες |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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Nouns which end with a [[w:Dental consonant|dental]] ({{polytonic|τ, δ, θ}}) show some contractions. Ancient Greek does not allow a {{polytonic|δσ}}, {{polytonic|θσ}}, or {{polytonic|τσ}} combination, and so the dental is generally dropped, often with a lengthening of the stem vowel, which sometimes goes back to PIE itself. Compare the inflection of {{term|πούς||foot|tr=pous|lang=grc|sc=polytonic}}, stem {{term||ποδ-|tr=pod-|sc=polytonic}}, with that given for {{proto|Indo-European|pṓds}} |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πούς |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδες |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποδός |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποδοῖν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποδῶν |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποδί |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποδοῖν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ποσί(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδᾰς |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πούς |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόδες |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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===Neuters=== |
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Neuter nouns of the third declension are nearly identical to their masculine and feminine counterparts except for the nominative, accusative, and vocative cases in singular and plural. Since the stem often ends with a sound which an Ancient Greek word cannot end on, the final sound is often dropped or changed in unmarked forms. The simplest and most common third declension neuters are the dental stems, such as {{term|ὄνομα||name|tr=onoma|lang=grc|sc=polytonic}}, stem {{term||ονοματ-|tr=onomat-|lang=grc|sc=polytonic}}. Interestingly, the {{polytonic|τ}} in the stem is a common feature of Ancient Greek words derived from PIE neuter n stems, which is not well explained. |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὄνομᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτᾰ |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνομάτοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνομάτων |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτῐ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνομάτοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνομάσῐ(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὄνομᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτᾰ |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὄνομᾰ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτε |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|ὀνόμᾰτᾰ |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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===Contractions=== |
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Nouns with stems ending in {{polytonic|ι}} show an odd admixture of {{polytonic|ι}} and {{polytonic|ει}} stem endings. Homeric Greek shows a more consistent {{polytonic|ι}} ending. |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλῐς |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεις |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεως |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πολέοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεων |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πολέοιν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεσῐ(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλῐν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεις |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλῐ |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|πόλεις |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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Neuter stems ending with a V{{polytonic|σ}} (where V is a vowel) drop the sigma, and subsequently contract, especially in later Greek. The inflection of {{term|τέλος||end|tr=telos|lang=grc|sc=polytonic}}, stem {{term||τελεσ-|tr=teles-|sc=polytonic}} is as follows: |
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<center> |
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{| style="width:100%;background:#A9A9A9;color:#000000;text-align:center;" class="inflection-table" cellspacing=1 |
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!style="background:#B0C4DE;"| ''Case / #'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Singular'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Dual'' |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;width:28%"| ''Plural'' |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Nominative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεε, τέλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεᾰ, τέλη |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Genitive'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεος, τέλους |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τελέοιν, τελοῖν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τελέων, τελῶν |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Dative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεϊ, τέλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τελέοιν, τελοῖν |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεσσῐ(ν), τέλεσῐ(ν) |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Accusative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεε, τέλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεᾰ, τέλη |
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}} |
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|- |
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!style="background:#C0C0C0;"| ''Vocative'' |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλος |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεε, τέλει |
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}} |
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|style="background:#F5F5F5;"| {{polytonic|τέλεᾰ, τέλη |
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}} |
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|}</center> |
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{{attention|grc}} |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek appendices|Nouns]] |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek nouns|*]] |
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Revision as of 06:20, 23 September 2009
First declension
Greek nouns of the first declension are feminines in -η, -ᾰ, -ᾱ (-ē, -ă, -ā), and masculines in -ης, -ᾱς (-ēs, -ās).
Examples
Note: These examples are forms from the Attic dialect.
Feminines in -η and -ᾱ
| singular | dual | plural | singular | dual | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative vocative |
τῑμ·ή tīm·ē |
τῑμ·ᾱ́ tīm·ā |
τῑμ·αί tīm·ae |
χώρ·ᾱ chōr·ā |
χώρ·ᾱ chōr·ā |
χῶρ·αι chōr·ae | |
| accusative | τῑμ·ήν tīm·ēn |
τῑμ·ᾱ́ς tīm·ās |
χώρ·ᾱν chōr·ān |
χώρ·ᾱς chōr·ās | |||
| genitive | τῑμ·ῆς tīm·ēs |
τῑμ·αῖν tīm·aen |
τῑμ·ῶν tīm·ōn |
χώρ·ᾱς chōr·ās |
χώρ·αιν chōr·aen |
χωρ·ῶν chōr·ōn | |
| dative | τῑμ·ῇ tīm·ē(i) |
τῑμ·αῖς tīm·aes |
χώρ·ᾳ chōr·ā(i) |
χώρ·αις chōr·aes |
Masculines in -ης and -ᾱς
| singular | dual | plural | singular | dual | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | κριτ·ής crit·ēs |
κριτ·ᾱ́ crit·ā |
κριτ·αί crit·ae |
ταμί·ᾱς tami·ās |
ταμί·ᾱ tami·ā |
ταμί·αι tami·ae | |
| vocative | κριτ·ά crit·a |
ταμί·ᾱ tami·ā | |||||
| accusative | κριτ·ήν crit·ēn |
κριτ·ᾱ́ς crit·ās |
ταμί·ᾱν tami·ān |
ταμί·ᾱς tami·ās | |||
| genitive | κριτ·οῦ crit·ū |
κριτ·αῖν crit·aen |
κριτ·ῶν crit·ōn |
ταμί·ου tami·ū |
ταμί·αιν tami·aen |
ταμι·ῶν tami·ōn | |
| dative | κριτ·ῇ crit·ē(i) |
κριτ·αῖς crit·aes |
ταμί·ᾱͅ tami·ā(i) |
ταμί·αις tami·aes |
Second declension
Greek nouns of the second declension are masculines and feminines in -ος (-os), and neuters in -ον (-on).
Examples
Note: These examples are forms from the Attic dialect.
| singular | dual | plural | singular | dual | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | λύκ·ος lyc·os |
λύκ·ω lyc·ō |
λύκ·οι lyc·oe |
ζυγ·όν zyg·on |
ζυγ·ώ zyg·ō |
ζυγ·ά zyg·a | |
| vocative | λύκ·ε lyc·e | ||||||
| accusative | λύκ·ον lyc·on |
λύκ·ους lyc·ūs |
|||||
| genitive | λύκ·ου lyc·ū |
λύκ·οιν lyc·oen |
λύκ·ῶν lyc·ōn |
ζυγ·οῦ zyg·ū |
ζυγ·οῖν zyg·oen |
ζυγ·ῶν zyg·ōn | |
| dative | λύκ·ῳ lyc·ō(i) |
λύκ·οις lyc·oes |
ζυγ·ῷ zyg·ō(i) |
ζυγ·οῖς zyg·oes |
Third declension
The Ancient Greek third declension (also known as the consonant declension) comprises the most diverse and potentially confusing forms of nominal inflection. The third declension does not have a stem vowel, as the first (Template:polytonic) and second (Template:polytonic) declensions do. Since the stem vowels provide a sort of buffer between the stems and inflectional endings, the third declension is more prone to contractions and other irregularities than the other two.
Etymology
The third declension is the Ancient Greek reflex of the Template:proto. A dash with nothing following indicates an unmarked inflection, that is, a bare stem.
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *-s | *-h₁?, -e? | *-es |
| Genitive | *-s, -es, -os | ? | *-om |
| Dative | *-ey | ? | *-bʰos, -mos |
| Accusative | *-m̥ | *-h₁?, -e? | *-m̥s |
| Vocative | *- | *-h₁?, -e? | *-es |
| Instrumental | *-bʰi, -mī | ? | *-s, -es, -os |
| Ablative | *-s, -es, -os | ? | *-bʰos, -mos |
| Locative | *-i, - | ? | *-su |
| Neuter † | *- | / | *-h₂ |
† The neuter nominative and accusative in the singular and plural have a different inflection than masculine and feminine.
Basic pattern
In Ancient Greek the ablative and genitive have merged into a single case, a process already well underway in Proto-Indo-European. The dative, locative, and instrumental cases were all merged into the dative, which generally takes on the inflection of the locative. Consult the Wikipedia article on Indo-European sound laws to aid in understanding some of the Ancient Greek reflexes of PIE sounds, such as the perhaps non-intuitive PIE *m̥ --> Ancient Greek Template:polytonic.
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Neuter | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
Realizations
Stop consonants
In nouns which end with a labial (Template:polytonic) or velar (Template:polytonic) consonant, the pattern is fairly recognizable, as seen in (deprecated template usage) πτέρυξ (ptérux). Note how the gamma and sigma merge into a ksi in the nominative singular and dative plural.
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
Nouns which end with a dental (Template:polytonic) show some contractions. Ancient Greek does not allow a Template:polytonic, Template:polytonic, or Template:polytonic combination, and so the dental is generally dropped, often with a lengthening of the stem vowel, which sometimes goes back to PIE itself. Compare the inflection of (deprecated template usage) πούς (poús), stem (deprecated template usage) ποδ- (pod-), with that given for Template:proto
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
Neuters
Neuter nouns of the third declension are nearly identical to their masculine and feminine counterparts except for the nominative, accusative, and vocative cases in singular and plural. Since the stem often ends with a sound which an Ancient Greek word cannot end on, the final sound is often dropped or changed in unmarked forms. The simplest and most common third declension neuters are the dental stems, such as (deprecated template usage) ὄνομα (ónoma), stem (deprecated template usage) ονοματ- (onomat-). Interestingly, the Template:polytonic in the stem is a common feature of Ancient Greek words derived from PIE neuter n stems, which is not well explained.
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
Contractions
Nouns with stems ending in Template:polytonic show an odd admixture of Template:polytonic and Template:polytonic stem endings. Homeric Greek shows a more consistent Template:polytonic ending.
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
Neuter stems ending with a VTemplate:polytonic (where V is a vowel) drop the sigma, and subsequently contract, especially in later Greek. The inflection of (deprecated template usage) τέλος (télos), stem (deprecated template usage) τελεσ- (teles-) is as follows:
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Genitive | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Dative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Accusative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |
| Vocative | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic | Template:polytonic |