Niw Englisch/Grammar/Nouns

Masculine Nouns

Masculine regular nouns

	singular	plural
Nominative	Staan	Stane
Genitive	Stanes	Stane
Dative	Stane	Stanen
Accusative	Staan	Stane

Most masculine nouns follow this declension, what was once called the ā-stem. Some nouns that in Old English had ā in the stem now double it in the singular to indicate a long vowel. The dative 'e' ending is optional but recommended in formal writing. The genitive and plural are distinguished by context.

Examples:

• Stane sind rund and roh. Stones are round and rough.
• Þie Stane Farbe is græȝ. The stone's color is gray.
• Ic klæne mid þen ƕeiten Klaðen. I clean with the white cloths.

Note: words ending in -þ change it to -ð before inflectional endings. This means the voiceless þ becomes the voiced ð, reflected in spelling to keep it a bit more phonetic.

Common words of this kind:

• Æl eel
• Beag bracelet, ring
• Beam tree
• Buuk stomach
• Bræþ odor
• Ȝærd yard
• Haam home
• Hæft prisoner, captive
• Kamb comb
• Kwalm death
• Muuþ mouth
• Staan stone
• Stol stool
• Storm storm
• Stream stream
• Weȝ way

Masculine nouns with two syllables shorten the genitive ending, but never the plural endings. The weak inner syllable gets shortened instead if it's 'er', 'en', or 'el':

Masculine regular nouns

	singular	plural
Nominative	Hefen	Hefne
Genitive	Hefens	Hefne
Dative	Hefene	Hefnen
Accusative	Hefen	Hefne

Like this are:

• Æker acre
• Engel angel
• Fugel bird
• Hefen heaven
• Kradel cradle
• Þuner thunder

Examples:

• On Hefens Wolken sitteþ þe Engel on heaven's cloud sits the angel.
• Þie Fugle sind in þem Roder the birds are in the sky.
• Mid Englen kann Godd us helpen With angels God can help us.

Masculine weak nouns

	singular	plural
Nominative	Gare	Garen
Genitive	Garen	Garen
Dative	Garen	Garen
Accusative	Garen	Garen

Like Garen corner are any weak masculine noun, which end in 'en' in all cases but the nominative singular. A few, such as (Name, Wille), have the genitive in ens.

Masculine noun with umlaut

	singular	plural
Nominative	Toþ	Tœðe
Genitive	Toðes	Tœðe
Dative	Toþ	Tœðen
Accusative	Toþ	Tœðe

Like Toþ tooth are:

• Fot (Fœte) foot
• Mann (Mænne) human; not commonly used to mean 'male human'
• Weifmann (Weifmænne) woman (literally 'female human'); (not the common word, which is Frowe). The masculine Werrmann is 'male human' and both Werrmann and Weifmann are somewhat technical terms. The common Werr and Weif are better used.

A few masculine nouns vowel change from the singular to the plural (æ to a):

Masculine vowel changing nouns

	singular	plural
Nominative	Dæȝ	Dage
Genitive	Dæȝes	Dage
Dative	Dæȝe	Dagen
Accusative	Dæȝ	Dage

Like Dæȝ day are:

• Ƕæl whale
• Mæȝ relative, kinsman
• Pæþ path
• Stæff staff (plural: Stafe)

Examples:

• Þe Ende aller Dage the end of all days
• Usre Paðe sind klaar our paths are clear

Since Dæȝ ends in ȝ, that ȝ becomes g before the plural endings, pronounced like German 'ach.'

Feminine Nouns

Feminine noun with en ending

	singular	plural
Nominative	Fare	Faren
Genitive	Fare	Faren
Dative	Fare	Faren
Accusative	Fare	Faren

This type of feminine noun carries forward what was called the pure ō-stems. The endings of the singular (u, e) all weakened to e, and likewise the plural. Needing a way to distinguish singular from plural, like German, the plural passed into the weak declension. Abstract nouns ending in -ung are part of this declension. Also, abstract nouns that once ended in ī (strengu, strenge) formed by umlaut of the adjective are now part of this declension.

Examples:

• Fare journey, trip
• Farbe color
• Stunde hour
• Rihtung direction
• Strenge strength
• Enge narrowness

Feminine noun with umlaut

	singular	plural
Nominative	Bok	Bœke
Genitive	Bok	Bœke
Dative	Bok	Bœken
Accusative	Bok	Bœke

Like Bok are:

• Ak (Æke) oak
• Brok (Brœke) trousers, pants
• Burg (Byrge) city
• Ku (Kye) cow
• Dung (Dynge) prison
• Furh (Fyrhe) furrow
• Gaat (Gæte) goat
• Goos (Gœse) Goose
• Grut (Gryte) coarse meal, groats; pl grits
• Luus (Lyse) louse; pl lice
• Melk (Milke) milk
• Muus (Myse) mouse
• Naht (Næhte) night
• Nutte (Nytte) nut
• Studde (Stydde) pillar, column
• Stuððe (Styððe) pillar, column
• Sulh (Sylhe) plow
• Turf (Tyrfe) turf
• Þruh (Þryhe) trough
• Wloh (Wlœhe) fringe

In these nouns, the h is pronounced like German ach in the singular, and like ich in the umlauted plurals.

Feminine noun with doubling

	singular	plural
Nominative	Swiftnes	Swiftnesse
Genitive	Swiftnes	Swiftnesse
Dative	Swiftnes	Swiftnessen
Accusative	Swiftnes	Swiftnesse

Nouns like Swiftnes or Byrðen double the last consonant, then add the e endings. Feminine nouns ending in nes and en are like this.

Examples:

• Byrðen, Byrðenne burden
• Swiftnes, Swiftnesse swiftness
• Þrines, Þrinesse trinity
• Fyxen, Fyxenne vixen

Neuter Nouns

Neuter noun with er ending

	singular	plural
Nominative	Speld	Spelder
Genitive	Speldes	Spelder
Dative	Spelde	Speldern
Accusative	Speld	Spelder

Like Speld torch, flashlight are:

• Æȝ egg
• Bread bread
• Cild child
• Hæl health; salvation
• Hilt hilt
• Lamb lamb
• Læn loan
• Sweng blow, hit

Weak neuter nouns

	singular	plural
Nominative	Eaȝe	Eaȝen
Genitive	Eaȝen	Eaȝen
Dative	Eaȝen	Eaȝen
Accusative	Eaȝe	Eaȝen

Like Eaȝe ear are:

• Eare ear
• Wange cheek

Neuter noun with umlaut

	singular	plural
Nominative	Scrud	Scryde
Genitive	Scrudes	Scryde
Dative	Scrude	Scryden
Accusative	Scrud	Scryde

Only Scryd garment, (single) article of clothing is like this.

Family Nouns

• Father: Fader (-s/Fæder)
• Mother: Moder (-/Mœder)
• Brother: Broðer (-s/Brœðer)
• Sister: Swester (-/Swestern)
• Son: Sonn (-es/Sœnne)
• Daughter: Dohter (-/Dœhter)
• Brothers: Gebrœðer (may not be actually related, or indicating 'brothers' who don't have the same parents but are related as cousins)
• Sisters: Geswester (may not be actually related, or indicating 'sisters' who don't have the same parents but are related as cousins)
• Uncle (maternal): Eam (-es/-e)
• Uncle (paternal): Fæder (-s/-e)
• Aunt (maternal): Modrige (-/-n)
• Aunt (paternal): Faðe (-/-n)
• Niece: Nift (-/-e);
• Nephew: Nefe (-n/-n); more specifically:
  • Brother's son: Broðersonn (-s/-sœnne)
  • Sister's son: Swestersonn (-s/-sœnne)
  • Uncle and Nephew: Suhterfædern (pl)
• Grandfather: Aldfaðer (-s/-fæder)
• Grandmother: Aldmoder (-/-mœder)
• Grandson: Sonnssonn (-s/-sœnne)
• Granddaughter: Dohtersonn (-s/-sœnne); Nefne (-/-n) (originally meant 'niece')
• Parent: Ældre (-/-n)
• Grandparent: Aldældre
• Cousin: þe Geswegre (-n/-n), þie Geswegre (-/-n)
  • Male Cousins: Suhterge (-n/-n)
• In-Laws:
  • Father-in-law: Sweer (-es/-e)
  • Mother-in-law: Sweȝer (-/-n)
  • Son-in-Law: Aðum (-s/-e); a daughter's husband or a sister's husband
  • Daughter-in-Law: Snore (-/-n)
  • Brother-in-Law: Taker (-s/-n)
  • Sister-in-Law: Broðerweif (-es/-)
• Relative
  • Male Relative: Mæȝ (-es/Mage)
  • Female Relative: Mage (-/-n)
  • Paternal Relation: Fædrunge (-n/-n); Fædrenkynn (-es/-e)
  • Maternal Relation: Mœdrenkynn (-es/-e)