A Gothic Grammar

§ 130. The adjectival i-stems ar connected with the substantivs balgs, ansts (§§ 99 (#para_99)-103). Exampls: hrains, clean; gamains, common; brûks, uzeful; analaugns, hidn; anasiuns, visibl; andanêms, agreeabl; andasêts, abominabl; sêls, kind (unsêls, wicked); suts, sweet; skeirs, clear; gafáurs, sober (unfáurs, talkativ); aljakuns, of different kind. The paradim hrains inflects thus:

Note 1. A gen. sg. f. as wel as a longer n. form (like hrainjata) ar not extant.

Note 2. A word may with certainty be referd to this class, (1) if it occurs in the nom. sg. f. (hrains), (2) if besides the nom. sg. m. and n. also cases with j ar found. But if only the nominativs m. and n. (hrains, hrain) occur, the word may inflect like blinds (123); if only j-cases (as, hrainjamma) ar found, it may decline like wilþeis, midjis (§§ 127 (#para_127). 125 (#para_125)). – Other adjectivs, however, ar without sufficient proof, but for other considerations, included in this class; e. g., skauns, beutiful; auþs, desolate, waste; hauns, base; bleiþs, merciful; gadôfs, fit; *mêrs, famous (in wailamêr, nom. sg. n.). – Cp. Kluge, Stammbildg., §§ 178 (#litres_trial_promo). 197 (#litres_trial_promo). 229-231; Beitr., 14, 167; 15, 489; Brgm., II, 287.

Note 3. Adjectival i-stems may be inferd from adverbs in -iba (§ 210 (#litres_trial_promo)); e. g., arniba, gatêmiba.

§ 131. The adjectival u-stems ar related to the substantivs sunus (fem. handus), faíhu (§§ 104 (#para_104)-106). Exampls: hardus, hard; qaírrus, meek; þaúrsus, dry; tulgus, stedfast; manwus, redy; aggwus, narrow; aglus, difficult; seiþus, late; þlaqus, tender; twalibwintrus, twelv years (lit. winters) old. Paradim hardus:

Note 1. Whether adjectivs belong to this class is seen from the nom. sg. in which the abuv adduced exampls occur (the only f. forms being þaúrsus and tulgus; Beitr., 15, 570; 16, 318). laushandus, empty-handed; hnasqus, soft; kaúrus, hevy, ar merely inferd from their ja-cases.

Note 2. From the adv. glaggwuba (§ 210 (#litres_trial_promo)) an adj. glaggwus (§ 68 (#para_68)) can be inferd.

Note 3. The original adj. *filus, much, is preservd in Goth. in the nom. acc. sg. n. uzed substantivly and adverbially: filu, the gen. filaus being uzed adverbially.

B. WEAK ADJECTIVS

§ 132. The weak declension of adjectivs is fully identical with the weak or n-declension of nouns (§§ 107 (#para_107)-112). But it must be noticed that the f. of the weak adj. inflects like the paradim tuggô (cp. § 112 (#para_112), n. 1). – Exampl of an inflected weak adj. (blinds, § 123 (#para_123)):

Note 1. Like blinda inflect all weak adjectivs. Of ja-stems: nom. sg. niuja, niujô, niujô (cp. § 126 (#para_126)), wilþja (§ 127 (#para_127)); —i-stems: hrainja, hrainjô; u-stems: hardja, hardjô (cp. § 129 (#para_129) et seq.). – In the cases with i (gen. dat. sg. m. n.) of the long stems in -ja- (-i-, -u-) the forms with -ji- appear as the regular ones (as in the sb., § 108 (#para_108), n. 2; contrary to § 44 (#para_44), c); cp. wilþji(n)s; Rom. XI, 24; unhrainjin; Mk. IX, 25. Lu. VIII, 29; unsêljin; Mt. V, 39. Jo. XVII, 15. But beside unsêljins; Eph. VI, 16 (in A) unsêleins (in B); beside faírnjin; Mk. II, 21. Lu. V, 36, also faírnin; II. Cor. VIII, 10. IX, 2.

Note 2. Sum adjectivs occur only in the weak forms; as, usgrudja, idle, despondent; alaþarba, poor; usfaírina, blameless; inkilþô, pregnant, and a few more of which sum ar probably to be regarded as substantivs (cp. Zs. fda., 18, 41, note). – The weak form ainaha (no strong form occurs), only, has in Lu. VIII, 42 the nom. sg. f. ainôhô (cp. Beitr., 12, 203) which is certainly incorrect for ainahô.

Note 3. All ordinals except 1st and 2nd (cp. § 146 (#para_146)), and the prns. sama and silba (§ 156 (#para_156)) follow the weak inflection only.

Note 4. Lastly, the prs. ptcs. (§ 133 (#para_133)), comparativs (§ 136 (#para_136)), and the superlativs in -ma (§ 139 (#para_139)) inflect exclusivly like weak adjs. But all these words hav the f. according to the paradim managei (§ 113 (#Page_48), n. 3).

C. DECLENSION OF THE PARTICIPLS

§ 133. The present participl has lost its strong inflection and declines like a weak adj., but with the f. in -ei (§ 132 (#para_132), n. 4). Only the nom. sg. m. has frequently both the strong and the weak inflection. Paradim gibands, giving:

Note 1. Concerning the shorter inflection of sum participls uzed substantivly, s. § 115 (#para_115).

§ 134. The prt. ptc. pass., like an ordinary adj., follows the strong and weak inflection; e. g., the pp. of the stv. giban:

The pp. of the wv. nasjan:

Note. Concerning the interchange between þ and d in the pp. of the weak verbs, s. § 74 (#para_74).

D. COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVS

1. COMPARATIV

§ 135. The comparativ degree of adjectivs in Gothic is formd by means of two suffixes, -iz- and -ôz-, to which the terminations of the weak adjectivs ar added.

The formation with the suff. -iz- is more general than the other. It is found in adjs. of all kinds; e. g., managiza (< manags, a-stem), alþiza (< alþeis, §§ 127 (#para_127). 128 (#Page_54)), hardiza (< hardus, § 131 (#para_131)). – But the suffix -ôz- occurs in a-stems only: frôdôza (< frôþs), swinþôza (< swinþs).

Note. The adj. juggs, yung, has the compar. jûhiza (according to § 50 (#para_50), n. 1). Its superlativ is not extant.

§ 136. The comparativs inflect exactly like weak adjectivs, but the f. ends in -ei (§ 132 (#para_132), n. 4):

etc., like the prs. ptc. (§ 133 (#para_133)).

2. SUPERLATIV

§ 137. The superlativ degree, like the comparativ, is formd in two ways, in -ist- or in -ôst-; e. g., managists (< manags), armôsts (< arms, poor). The inflection of the superlativs is precisely the same as that of ordinary adjectivs – strong and weak.

Note. No rule can be givn for the appearance of the ô or the i in the suffix, except that the ô-form occurs only with a-stems. We may suppose that a word which forms the compar. by means of i, has i in the superl. also, and that, in like manner, the ô-forms correspond to each other. This supposition, however, is only founded on a few extant exampls.

3. IRREGULAR COMPARISON

§ 138. The lack of comparison of sum adjectivs is supplied by comparativs and superlativs with a corresponding meaning, but without a positiv:

§ 139. A superlativ with an m-suffix is found in six words, which ar derived from adverbial stems and appear without a positiv. The m-suffix is either simpl: fru-ma, innu-ma, aúhu-ma, or compound: af-tuma, if-tuma, hlei-duma.

Two of them hav assumed a comparativ meaning: aúhuma, higher; hleiduma, left (ἀριστερός); the others hav a superlativ or an intensiv signification: aftuma, the last; iftuma, the next; innuma, the inmost; fruma, the first.

These words follow the weak inflection, but hav the f. in -ei, exactly like the comparativs.

Note. Sum superlativs in -ma ar compared anew in the uzual manner: aftumists, the last; aúhumists, oftener than aúhmists (cp. OE. ŷmest, Sievers-Cook, OE. Gr., § 314, n. 3), the highest; frumists, the first. – The forms hindumists, hindmost, spêdumists, last (< *spêþs, beside spêdiza, spêdists), suggest the missing hinduma and spêduma. Also miduma, midst, midumônds, mediator, point to a form *miduma, midl (cp. OE. meodume, midmest).

CHAP. III. NUMERALS

1. CARDINALS

§ 140. The first three numerals ar declinabl in all cases and genders.

1. ains, n. ain and ainata, f. aina, inflects entirely like a strong adj. (blinds, § 123 (#para_123)). Plural forms mean only, alone. No weak inflection is found. (§ 122 (#para_122), n. 1).

The nom. of the m. and f., which is not extant, may with certainty be givn as þreis.

Note. The definit dual number 'both', ἀμφότεροι, is renderd by bai, which inflects like twai. The extant forms ar nom. m. bai, dat. baim, acc. bans, nom. acc. n. ba. – There occurs also an extended form with the same meaning, its inflection being that of a consonantal substantiv (§ 117 (#para_117), n. 4): nom. bajôþs, dat. bajôþum.

§ 141. The numerals from 4 to 19 ar of one gender. Extant ar: fidwôr, 4; fimf, 5; saíhs, 6; sibun, 7; ahtau, 8; niun, 9; taíhun, 10; ainlif (§ 56 (#Page_24), n. 1), 11; twalif, 12; fidwôrtaíhun, 14; fimftaíhun, 15. These numerals ar uzed uninflected, but may take an inflected gen. and dat. according to the i-declension (§ 99 (#para_99) et seq.). Thus, fidwôr, dat. fidwôrim; niun, gen. niunê; taíhun, dat. taíhunim; ainlif, dat. ainlibim; twalif, gen. twalibê, dat. twalibim.

Note. For fidwôr appears fidur- (s. § 24 (#para_24), n. 2) in cpds.: fidurfalþs, fourfold; fidurdôgs, time of four days; fidurragineis, tetrarch. Cp. Beitr., 6, 394; Brgm., III, 11.

§ 142. The tens from 20 to 60 ar formd by means of the pl. tigjus (< *tigus, a decad), preceded by the units. tigjus inflects regularly like sunus (§ 104 (#para_104)). The object counted is always givn in the gen. —twai tigjus, 20; *þreis tigjus, 30 (extant in gen. þrijê tigiwê, acc. þrins tiguns), fidwôr tigjus, 40; fimf tigjus, 50; saíhs tigjus, 60.

§ 143. From 70 to 100 -têhund takes the place of tigjus: sibuntêhund, 70; ahtautêhund, 80; niuntêhund, 90; taíhuntêhund and taíhuntaíhund, 100. The numerals in -têhund ar substantivs which ar as a rule indeclinabl. Onse (Lu. XV, 7) we meet with an inflected gen. sg.; in niuntêhundis jah niunê garaíhtaizê. – Cp. Brgm., III, 40.

§ 144. The hundreds ar formd by means of the plural of a neuter hund (a hundred). The following ar extant: twa hunda, 200; þrija hunda, 300; fimf hunda, 500; niun hunda, 900.

§ 145. þûsundi, 1000, is a f. sb. (inflecting like bandi, § 96 (#para_96)), with a gen. pl.; several thousands ar exprest by þûsundjôs. – Onse (Ezra II, 14) occurs a n. pl. twa þûsundja. Cp. ahd. gr., § 275. OE. Gr., § 327, and Mahlow, 'Die langen Vocale', p. 98.

The extant thousands ar: twôs þûsundjôs, 2000; .g. þûsundjôs, 3000; fidwôr þûsundjôs, 4000; fimf þûsundjôs, 5000; taíhun þ., 10000; miþ twaim tigum (dat.) þûsundjô (gen.), with 20000.

Note (to §§ 141 (#para_141)-145). The numerals ar very often denoted by letters (cp. § 1 (#para_1), n. 2). Therefore so many words for numerals ar wanting.