Gothic Lesson 1 - The Case System and Masculine A-Stems

Hails,

My name is Mike (or Maiks, as we would spell it in Gothic), and I'll be posting some Gothic lessons here. Someday, I hope to expand these and put them into a book, but for now a blog format will get the job done. So on to the language.

One of the first things you will need to learn is the case system. In Gothic, nouns have different endings that tell us what role they fill in a sentence. We have remnants of this case system in our pronouns in modern English. We use 'he' for the subject of a sentence, 'him' for both the direct and indirect object, and 'his' for the possessive. While our normal nouns don't do this, all Gothic nouns do. Additionally, Gothic definite articles (the word for 'the') change too. Let's look at a typical noun: 'wulfs', meaning 'wolf'.


Nominative:      sa wulfs                           þos wulfos          
                        the wolf (subject)              the wolves (subject)
Accusative:       þana wulf                        þans wulfans the wolves
                        the wolf (direct object)      the wolves (direct object)
Genitive:           þis wulfis                        þize wulfe    
                        the wolf's (possessive)      the wolves' (possesive)
Dative:             þamma wulfa                  þaim wulfam
                        the wolf (indirect object)   the wolves (indirect object)

So you can see that the word for 'the' changes along with the noun. By the way, the letter þ is called a thorn and it's pronounced like the 'th' in the word 'thigh', never like 'thy'.

Changing the case endings is called 'declining' a noun. Always remember that verbs conjugate, but nouns decline. Though if say that a noun conjugate, I'll know what you mean. Let's explore how the case system works in an actual sentence. Some quick vocab: hunds means dog, or hound. Bitiþ means 'bites'.


Sa wulfs bitiþ þana hund.
The wolf bites the hound.          

The -s tells us that wulf- is in the nominative case and is the doer of the verb. The wolf is the one who bites. When we remove the -s from hund-, we put it into the accusative case. This means it's the direct object of the verb. The hound is the one being bitten. The forms of the definite article tell us the same thing, and have to be in the same case as their nouns. We can reverse the word order and have the same meaning, because it's the case system that tells us who bites whom. 

Þana hund bitiþ sa wulfs.
The wolf bites the hound.

To make it so that the hound is the one who bites the wolf, we have to put hund- into the nominative case and wulf- into the accusative. 


Sa hunds bitiþ þana wulf. OR Þana wulf bitiþ sa hunds.
The hound bites the wolf.  

Now let's look at the genitive case. The genitive case works very much like -'s, or like 'of'. We'll use the word 'þiudans', which means 'king'.

Sa hunds þis þiudanis.
The hound of the king.  

Þis þiudanis hunds.
The king's hound.  

Sa wulfs bitiþ þans hundans þize þiudane.
The wolf bites the hounds of the kings. (Note the plurals).

The dative case covers all sorts of other functions, like indirect object, location, and the means by which things happen. For now, we'll use it to mark a location where things happen using ana, meaning 'on' or 'upon'. We'll also use the word stains, which means 'stone'. 


Sa wulfs bitiþ þana hund ana þamma staina. 
The wolf bites the hound on the stone. 

Þis wulfis þiudans bitiþ stainans ana þaim hundam.
The wolf's king bites stones upon the hounds. (Ok, that made no sense, but the grammatical function of each word in the sentence should be clear.)

Hopefully, you should be getting some idea of how the case system works. If it's not entirely clear, don't worry. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice declining nouns

twilight - ???liuhaþ

Ik ni aiwins mitoda filu hwaiwa ik dewjau- aþþan ik habaida til gonoh þans fairnans fawans menoþs- iþ þauh jabai mitodedjau, ni hugidedjau swa.

Ik fairweitjida, ni ananda, þairh þo laggon heþjon, in þo riqizeinona augona þize waiþjins, jah is insahw andanemiba aftra du mis.

Triggwaba was goþs haidus du diwan, faur anþar, þanei ik frijoda. Swers, jah. þata skal wisan wulþr hwis.

Ik wissa þatei jabai ni aiwins galeþjau in Faurks, ni andstodjau dauþu nu. Iþ, þauh jabai faurhta was, ni mahta briggna mis du idreigon meina gawalein. þanei libains atbairiþ þus siun swa fairra ufar wenins þeinos, nist andaþaht gaunon hwan qimiþ und andi


Sa waiþja gawandida iup andins munþis ize frijondleikamma haidau miþþanei hwarboda ut ei afslahai mik.

Strong Verbs Type I

Ia:

steigan
pp: stigans, stigan(ata), stigana
pp: steigands/steiganda, steigando, steigandei

steiga steigos steigam
steigis steigats steigiþ
steigiþ steigand

steigada steiganda
steigaza steiganda
steigada steiganda

steigau steigaiwa steigaima
steigais steigaits steigaiþ
steigai steigaina

steigaidau steigaindau
steigaizau steigaindau
steigaidau steigaindau

staig stigu stigum
staigt? stiguts stiguþ
staig stigun

stigjau stigeiwa stigeima
stigeis stigeits stigeiþ
stigi stigeina

---- ----- steigam
steig steigats steigiþ
steigadau steigandau


----------------------------

Ib:

teihan
pp: taihans, taihan(ata), taihana
pp: teihands/teihanda, teihando, teihandei

teiha teihos teiham
teihis teihats teihiþ
teihiþ teihand

teihada teihanda
teihaza teihanda
teihada teihanda

teihau teihaiwa teihaima
teihais teihaits teihaiþ
teihai teihaina

teihaidau teihaindau
teihaizau teihaindau
teihaidau teihaindau

taih taihu taihum
taiht? taihuts taihuþ
taih taihun

taihjau taiheiwa taiheima
taiheis taiheits taiheiþ
taihi taiheina

------ ------- teiham
teih teihats teihiþ
teihadau teihandau

Strong Verbs

Ia: steigan staig stigun stigans
Ib: teihan taih taihun taihans

IIa: kiusan kaus kusun kusans
lukan lauk lukun lukans
IIb: tiuhan tauh tauhun tauhans

IIIa: bindan band bundun bundans
IIIb: wairþan warþ waurþun waurþuns


IVa: qiman qam qemun qumans
IVb: bairan bar berun baurans


Va: qiþan qaþ qeþun qiþans
Vb: saihwan sahw sehwun saihwans

VI: sakan sok sokun sakans

VIIa: aukan aiauk aiaukun aukans
gafahan gafaifah gafaifahun gafahans
slepan saislep saislepun slepans
skaidan skaiskaiþ saiskaidun skaidans

VIIb: letan lailot lailotun letans
saian saiso (saisost) saisoun* saians
waian waiwo (waiwost*) waiwoun waians

strong verbs with -j- in stem:
Va: bidjan baþ bedun bidans
VI: hafjan hof hofun hafans

Va: sniwan snau snewun sniwans

-n- in stem

Vb: fraihnan frah frehun fraihans
VI: standan stoþ stoþun staþans

--------------------

kaus kusu kusum
kaust kusuts kusuþ
kaus kusun

before -t:
b>f: giban, gaft
d>s: biudan, baust
t>s: bigitan, bigast
þ>s: qiþan, qast

after vowels, word final devoicing occurs:
b>f: gadaban, gadof
d>þ bidjan>baþ

Both

bai/bajoþs
bans*
baddje*
baim/bajoþum

ba
ba
baddje*
baim

bos*
bos*
baddj0*
baim

twai twa twos
twans twa twos
twaddje twaddje twaddjo*
twaim twaim twaim

twaddjo/baddjo/bos from Kleinere Schriften by Jacob Ludwig C. Grimm, 1884.

þreis þrija þreis
þrins þrija þrins
þrije þrije þrije/þrijo?
þrim þrim þrim

Grimm has þrije for the fem gen.

Minor Declentions, Numbers, Adverbs

bai/ba
strong verbs
possesives
some adjective types
adverbs
comparative adverbs
minor noun declensions plus stuff from salo lesson 10
indef/interrogative pronouns
devoicing
---------------
nd-stems

fijands fijands
fijand fijands
fijandis fijande
fijand fijandam
------------------
comp: iza/izo/izei
super: ists/ist/ista : ista? / isto? / isto?

list of oza adjs:
arms "poor" armoza "poorer" armosts "poorest"
framaldrs "elderly" framaldroza "more elderly" framaldrosts "most elderly"
froths "wise" frodoza "wiser" frodosts "wisest"
garaihts "just" garaihtoza "more just" garaihtosts "most just"
handugs "clever" handugoza "cleverer" handugosts "cleverest"
hlas "happy" hlasoza "happier" hlasosts "happiest"
lasius "weak" lasiwoza "weaker" lasiwosts "weakest"
swinths "strong" swinthoza "stronger" swinthosts "strongest"
thaurfts "necessary" thaurftoza "more necessary" thaurftosts "most necessary"
usdauths "earnest" usdaudoza "more earnest" usdaudosts "most earnest"
-------------
adverbs

-aba
i-stems: -iba
u-stems: -uba

comparative: -is (sometimes -os)
----------------
strong verbs that end in -jan
jan-verbs; the -jan is confined to the present stem. These are:
bidjan, bath, bedun, bidans: to pray, ask, entreat
frathjan, froth, frothun, frathans: to understand
hafjan, hof, hofun, hafans: to raise (cf. "heave")
hlahjan, hloh, hlohun, hlahans: to laugh
garathjan, garoth, garothun, garathans: to count
gaskapjan, gaskop, gaskopun, gaskapans to create (cf. "shape")
skathjan, skoth, skothun, skathans to injure, to harm (cf. "scathe")
wahsjan, wohs, wohsun, wahsans to grow (cf. "wax", e.g. of the moon)
----------------------

type I weak verb vowels:

If the verb-stem consists of a _long_ vowel or a diphthong followed by _no_
consonant before the -jan ending, the stem changes when it is followed by an
ending in which the -j- has turned into a vowel: namely, the 2nd person singular
imperative ending -ei, all of the past endings with the -id- and -ided-
suffixes, and the past participle -iths.

The stem changes are:
Before a consonant Before a vowel
o au
au aw
iu iw
---------------------
mixed declensions (proper names, etc...):


Rumonus Rumoneis
Rumonu Rumonins
Rumonaus Rumone
Rumonau Rumonim

---------------------
r
broþar broþrjus
broþar broþruns
broþrs broþre
broþr broþrum

masc root cons:
menoþs menoþs
menoþ menoþs
menoþs menoþe
menoþ menoþum

fem root cons:
baurgs baurgs
baurg baurgs
baurgs baruge
baurg baurgim

fon
fun
funins
funin

-------

cardinal numbers:

1 ains ain aina
2 twai twa twos
3 þreis þrija þreis
4 fidwor
5 fimf
6 saihs
7 sibun
8 ahtau
9 niun
10 taihun
11 ainlif dat: ainlibum
12 twalif gen: twalibe / dat: twalibim
13 þreistaihun* / þrijataihun*
14 fidwortaihun
15 fimftaihun
16 saihstaihun*
17 sibuntaihun*
18 ahtautaihun*
19 niuntaihun*
20 twai tigjus D:twaim tigum
21 twai tigjus jah ains
22 twai tigjus jah twai/anþar
23 twai tigjus jah þreis
30 þreis tigjus A: þrins tiguns G:þrije tigiwe
40 fidwor tigjus
50 fimf tigjus
60 saihs tigjus D: saihs tigum
70 sibuntehund
80 ahtautehund
90 niuntehund G: niuntehundis
100 taihuntehund / taihuntaihund
200 twa hunda
300 þrija hunda
400 fidwor hunda
500 fimf hunda
600 saihs hunda*
700 sibun hunda*
800 auhtau hunda*
900 niun hunda
1000 þusundi
2000 twos þusundi
3000 þreis þusundjos
4000 fidwor þusundjos
5000 fimf þusundjos
with 10,000 - miþ taihun þusundjom
with 20,000 - miþ twaim tigun þusundjom

cardinal above 3 are usually undeclined

ordinal numbers:

1st fruma (always weak)
2nd anþar (always strong)
3rd þridja (always weak...)
4th fidworda*
5th fimfta
6th saihsta
7th sibunda*
8th ahtuda
9th niunda
10th taihunda
11th ainlifta
12th twalifta
13th þridjataihunda
14th fidwordataihunda
15th fimftataihunda
16th saihstataihunda
17th sibundataihunda
18th ahtudataihunda
19th niundataihunda
20th twai tig(j?)uda /tigosta
21st twai tigjuda jah fruma
22nd twai tigjuda jah anþar
23rd twai tigjuda jah þridja
24th twai tigjuda jah fidworda
25th twai tigjuda jah fimfta
26th twai tigjuda jah saihsta
27th twai tigjuda jah sibunda
28th twai tigjuda jah ahtuda
29th twai tigjuda jah niunda
30th þrei tigjuda (þrija tiguda? like *þrijataihun?)
31st þrei tigjuda jah fruma
40th fidworda tigjuda
50th fimfta tigjuda
60th saihsta tigjuda
70th sibuntehundosta
80th ahtautehundosta
90th niuntehundosta
100th hundosta
200th twai hundosta
300th þrei hundosta
400th fidworda hundosta
500th fimfta hundosta
600th saihsta hundosta
700th sibunda hundosta
800th ahtuda hundosta
900th niunda hundosta
1000th þusundjosta
2000th twai þusundjosta

Comparative-Superlative Adjectives

pure a stem adjectives: stem + -iz-/-oz- + weak endings
ja/i/u stem adjectives: stem + iz + weak endings

manags > managiza
juggs > juhiza
swinths > swinthoza
altheis > althiza
suts > sutiza
hardus > hardiza
froths > frodoza

AWAYS WEAK, FEMININE TAKE -EI endings NOT -O endings

+ Dative noun = " _____er than X"




Superlative:

stem + ist/ost + weak and strong endings

manags > managiza > managists
arms > armoza > armosts

goths > batiza > batists
leitils > minniza > minnists
mikils > maiza > maists
sineigs > ?????siniza > sinista
ubils > wairsiza > ????wairsts


-uma endings???

NO -ata ENDINGS