James Hadley

A Brief History of the English Language James Hadley

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913 edition. Excerpt: ... B.,-ess in 0). But for broth(e)ren, we And also breth(e)ren; and in 0. brethre is the only plural form of brotherr. The e in brother, suster, dohter, is often lost before a case ending. 1113. The fem. nom. acc. niht, night, haanshies in the gen. sing., nihie in the dat.: the § 116. For the Definite Declension they would be:--Bias) Masc. Fem. Neut. Plur. goden godenie) goden goden § 117. For-n sometimes added in A-to forms with final e, see § 103. On the other hand,-n is often omitted in A. from forms with final en, as gode for goden; and this is uniformly the case in B. The endings-es and-re in the gen. sing. and pl. are little used in B., the forms gode and god being used instead. By these changes, the difference between the definite and indefinite declensions became much less distinct; and it is not therefore surprising that, even in A-, the one is sometimes used instead of the other: with the definite article, the definite forms are almost always used; but with other adjective pronouns and with the possessive genitive the indefinite forms are not uncommon. § 118. In 0-the indefinite adjective has only the forms god for the sing., and gode for the pl.; the definite only the form gode (and very rarely a form in-en). Adjectives in-e, as dene, clean, are therefore without inflection. But the gen. pl. allre, of all, is still found with the superlative; as, allrefirrst, first of ali. § 119. The comparative ends in-re, and has only definite inflection. The superlative ends in-est, and is inflected both ways; but the indefinite superlative is undeclined in the sing., and takes only-e (in A. also-en) in the pl. § 120. Adverbs are formed from adjectives as in Anglo-Saxon: thus, swithe, strongly, very, from suith;...