Historical Grammar

263. Stems in sigma are contracted where σ falls out between the vowel of the stem and the vowel of the ending (120). Thus, γένος race, gen. γενε(σ)-ος γένους, dat. γενε(σ)-ι γένει, cp. Lat. genus gener-is (for genes-is), gener-i.

a. The masculine and feminine accusative plural, when it is contracted, borrows the form of the contracted nominative plural. -εις is not derived from -εας. In the dative plural the union of σ of the stem and σ of the ending produces σσ, which is reduced to σ without lengthening the preceding vowel (107).

b. Masculine stems in ες with the nominative in -ης are proper names; the feminine τριήρης trireme is an adjective used substantively (properly, triply fitted; ἡ τριήρης (ναῦς) ‘ship with three banks of oars’).

c. Neuters with stems in ες have -ος in the nominative, accusative, and vocative singular; neuters with stems in ας have -ας in these cases.

d. Some stems in ας have also a stem in ατ or ᾱτ (258).

Διογένης Diogenes, Ἱπποκράτης Hippocrates. Neuters: ἔτος year, εὖρος width, ξίφος sword, τεῖχος wall, γῆρας old age, κρέας flesh (for κέρας horn see 258).

a. Proper names in -ης have recessive accent in the vocative.

b. Proper names in -γένης, -κράτης, -μένης, -φάνης, etc., may have an accus. in -ην derived from the first declension. Thus, Σωκράτην, Ἀριστοφάνην, like Ἀτρείδην (222, 282 N.). But names in -κλῆς (265) have only -εᾱ.

c. Proper names in -ης often show -εος, -εα in the lyric parts of tragedy.

d. Neuters in -ος often show open forms (especially -εων) in Attic poetry. -εων is frequent in Xenophon.

e. and τριήρων have irregular accent by analogy to the other forms.

f. A preceding ρ does not prevent the contraction of εα to η, as ὄρη from τὸ ὄρος mountain (cp. 31. 1).

g. The dat. sing. of ας stems is properly -ᾰι; but -ᾳ is often written on the authority of the ancient grammarians. This ᾳ may possibly be due to the analogy of ᾳ in ᾱ stems.

265. When -εσ- of the stem is preceded by ε, the forms are inflected as follows: τὸ δέος fear (δεεσ-), Περικλῆς from Περικλέης Pericles (Περικλεεσ-):

a. After ε, εα contracts to ᾱ (56). On the contraction of -εεος, see 55.

b. δέος is uncontracted because the form was originally δει ̯ος (58).

266. ἡ αἰδώς shame is the only ος stem in Attic. It is inflected in the singular only. Nom. αἰδώς, Gen. αἰδοῦς (αἰδό-ος), Dat. αἰδοῖ (αἰδό-ι), Acc. αἰδῶ (αἰδό-α), Voc. αἰδώς.

267. Stems in ωf have lost vau and appear as ω stems. This ω contracts with the case endings in the dative and accusative singular and in the nominative and accusative plural. Stems in ωϜ are masculine.

Τρώς Trojan (252 a), πάτρως father's brother, μήτρως mother's brother, δμως slave (poetic, cp. 252 a).

a. Forms of the Attic second declension (237) are gen. ἥρω, Μί̄νω, acc. ἥρων; dual ἥρῳν (on an inscription).

268. Most stems in ι and some stems in υ show the pure stem vowel only in the nominative, accusative, and vocative singular. In the other cases they show an ε in place of ι and υ, and -ως instead of -ος in the genitive singular. Contraction takes place when this ε stands before ε, ι, or α of the case ending.

269. Stems in ι and υ are of two kinds: –

1. a. Stems in ι, with genitive in -εως, as (masc.) μάντις seer, ἔχις viper; (fem.) πόλις city, ποίησις poetry, δύναμις power, στάσις faction, ὕβρις outrage. Neuter nominatives in -ι are not used in classical prose.

b. Stems in ι, with genitive in -ιος, as ὁ κί¯ς weevil, gen. κῑ-ός, dat. κῑ-ί; and so in proper names in -ις, as Λύγδαμις Lygdamis, gen. Λυγδάμιος.

2. a. Stems in υ, with genitive in -υος; as (masc.) μῦς mouse, βότρυς cluster of grapes, ἰχθύ̄ς fish; (fem.) δρῦς oak, ὀφρύ̄ς eyebrow, ἰσχύ̄ς force.

b. Stems in υ, with genitive in -εως: (masc.) πῆχυς forearm, πέλεκυς axe; (neut.) ἄστυ town.

N. 1. – In the nom., acc., and voc. sing. barytone stems in υ have short υ; oxytone substantives (usually) and monosyllables have ῡ; and monosyllables circumflex the ῡ (σῦς, σῦν, σῦ).

N. 2. – ἡ ἔγχελυς eel follows ἰχθύ̄ς in the singular (ἐγχέλυ-ος, etc.), but πῆχυς in the plural (ἐγχέλεις, etc.). But this does not hold for Aristotle.

270. Stems in ι and υ vary with stronger stems, of which ε in the cases other than nom., acc., and voc. sing. is a survival. Thus:

a. ι, υ, as in πόλι-ς, πῆχυ-ς.

b. ει, ευ, which before vowels lost their ι and υ (43), as in πολει ̯-ι, πολει ̯-ες, πηχει ̯-ες; which contract to πόλει, πόλεις, πήχεις.

c. There is also a stem in η, as in Hom. πόλη-ος (268 D. 1, c), whence πόλε-ως.

N. 1. – πόλε-ος in Attic poetry for the sake of the metre is due to the analogy of υ stems with gen. in -ε-ος (ἡδέ-ος, 297). Hom. πήχε-ος is the regular form (from πηχει ̯-ος). Attic πήχε-ως follows πόλεως. πόλε-σι and πήχε-σι for πόλι-σι and πήχυ-σι are due to the analogy of forms from stems in ει, ευ (πόλε-ων, πήχε-ων, etc.).

N. 2. – The dual πόλεε occurs in some Mss.

271. Accent. – Final -ως of the genitive singular does not prevent the acute from standing on the antepenult (163 a). Thus πόλε-ως, πήχε-ως, ἄστε-ως. πόλε-ως retains the accent of the earlier πόλη-ος, which, by transference of quantity (34), became πόλε-ως. The accent of the gen. pl. follows that of the gen. sing.

272. Accusative plural. – πόλεις, πήχεις are borrowed from the nominative. ἰχθῦς is from ἰχθυν-ς. ἰχθύας occurs in late Greek. Cp. 251 a.

273. Contraction. – ἰχθῦ (once) for ἰχθύε and ἰχθῦς for ἰχθύες occur in comedy. ἰχθῦ is not a legitimate contraction, as υ cannot contract with ε (51 c). ἰχθῦς (for ἰχθύες) is the accus. form used as the nom. (251 b).

274. οἶς sheep is declined as follows: οἶς, οἰ-ός, οἰ-ί, οἶ-ν, οἶ; dual, οἶ-ε, οἰ-οῖν; pl. οἶ-ες, οἰ-ῶν, οἰ-σί, οἶ-ς. Here the stem is οἰ, representing ὀϜι, which is properly an ι stem: ὀϜι-ς, Lat. ovi-s.