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The Gothic Genitive Plural in -e

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Gustav Must
Gustav Must*
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Cornell University
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Extract

In contrast to the other Germanic languages, Gothic has two endings in the genitive plural: all masculines and neuters have -ē (e.g. dagē, waúrdē, gastē, suniwē, attanē, haírtanē, brōprē); of the feminines, some have -ē, some -ō (e.g. qēnē, mahtē, handiwē, baúrgē, but þiudō, tuggōnō, manageinō). The other Germanic languages have only one ending each: OHG OS -o (e.g. tago, dago), OIcel. OE -a (daga). This ending agrees with Gothic -ō, from Proto-Germanic -õ(n). The Gothic ending -ē is unique not only in Germanic but in Indo-European.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 28 , Issue 2-Part1: April-June , June 1952 , pp. 218 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © 1952 Linguistic Society of America

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References

1 Möller, PBB 7.489; E. Sievers, Berichte über d. Verhandl. d. sächs. Akademie, phil.-hist. Kl. 77.2, §93.

2 H. Osthoff and K. Brugmann, Morphologische Untersuchungen auf dem Gebiete der indogermanischen Sprachen 1.240 ff. (Leipzig, 1878).

3 Germanische Sprachwissenschaft: Formenlehre4 2.9 (Berlin and Leipzig, 1933).

4 IF 33.273 f.

5 Der Genitiv Plural auf -ē im Gotischen, Studies in honor of Hermann Collitz 95–100 (1930).

6 See also E. Hermann, Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen 1932, 40.

7 Le slave commun 340 (Paris, 1924); La forme du génitif pluriel en ombrien, MSL 22.258 (1935).

8 See E. Prokosch, Comp. Gmc. grammar 239 (Philadelphia, 1939).

8a We can posit a full-grade stem vowel *-ei- for Germanic on the evidence of the u-stems, which here show *-eu-. Cf. Goth. gen. pl. suniwē < PGmc. *suneu-.

9 F. Dieter (ed.), Laut- und Formenlehre der altgermanischen Dialekte 2.34 (1900).

10 Examples of ei for e, mostly from Luke: leikeis (Luke 5.31), greitip (John 16.20), afleitan (Matth. 9.6), qeins (Luke 1.5 and 2.5); i for e in birusjos (Luke 2.41); e for ei in spewands (Mark 7.33), skerein (1 Cor. 14.26); e for i in hweleika (Luke 1.29), etc. This interchange appears also in final position; cf. swarei (2 Cor. 6.1B) beside sware, ize for izei (Matth. 5.32, Mark 9.1, Luke 8.13 and 8.15, Cor. 15.27, Eph. 4.15, 1 Tim. 1.6, etc.), just as izei stands for ize ‘eorum’ (John 7.50).

11 See e.g. O. Jespersen, A modern English grammar 1.88 f. (Heidelberg, 1909).

12 For a parallel, note that in most Slavic languages the ending of the u-stems, -ovъ, spread to the other stem classes; e.g. Russ. stolóv ‘of the tables’ (Brugmann, Gdr.2 2.241, §255).