SUBSTANTIVES

FIRST DECLENSION (STEMS IN ᾱ)

211. Stems in ᾱ are masculine or feminine. The feminine nominative singular ends in -ᾱ, -ᾰ, or -η; the masculine nominative singular adds -ς to the stem, and thus ends in -ᾱς or -ης.

212. Table of the union of the case endings (when there are any) with the final vowel of the stem.

Observe the shortening of the stem in vocative singular and plural, in nominative and dative plural, and genitive and dative dual.

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213. Accent. – For special rule of accent in the genitive plural, see 208. The genitive plural is always perispomenon since -ῶν is contracted from -έ-ων derived from original (and Hom.) -ά^̄-ων (51). Final -αι is treated as short (169).

a. The form of the gen. pl. is taken from the pronominal adjective, i.e. (Hom.) θεά̄ων goddesses follows the analogy of (Hom.) τά̄ων (332 D.) for τᾱ- (ς)ων, cf. Lat. istā-rum deā-rum.

214. The dialects show various forms.

215. Dative Plural. – The ending -αισι(ν) occurs in Attic poetry (δίκαισι from δίκη right, δεσπόταισι from δεσπότης lord).

a. Attic inscriptions to 420 B. C. have -ῃσι (written -ηισι), -ησι, and (after ε, ι, ρ) -ᾳσι (written -αισι) and -ᾱσι.  Thus, δραχμῇσι and δραχμῆσι drachmas, ταμίᾳσι and ταμίᾱσι stewards. -ησι and -ᾱσι are properly endings of the locative case (341).

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ὥρᾱ season, ἡμέρᾱ day, σκιά̄ shadow, μάχη battle, τέχνη art, γνώμη judgment, τῑμή honor, ἀρετή virtue, μοῦσα muse, πρῶρα prow, ἅμαξα wagon, δόξα opinion.

217. Rules. – a. If the nominative singular ends in alpha preceded by a vowel (σκιά̄ shadow) or ρ (μοῖρα), alpha is kept throughout the singular.

b. If the nominative singular ends in alpha preceded by a consonant not ρ, alpha is changed to η in the genitive and dative singular.

c. If the nominative singular ends in η, η is kept in all the cases of the singular.

d. When the genitive singular has -ης, final α of the nominative singular is always short; when the genitive singular has -ᾱς, the final α is generally long.

Feminines fall into two classes:

218. (I) Feminines with ᾱ or η in all the cases of the singular.

After ε, ι, or ρ, ᾱ appears in all the cases of the singular, as in γενεά̄ race, οἰκίᾱ house, χώρᾱ land. Otherwise, η throughout the singular, as νί̄κη victory.

a. After ο, we find both ᾱ and η, as στοά^̄ porch, βοή shout, ἀκοή hearing, ὁͅοή current, ῥόᾱ pomegranate. After ρ we have η in κόρη girl, δέρη neck (31).

219.  (II) Feminines with ᾰ in the nominative, accusative, and vocative singular. The quantity of the vowel is generally shown by the accent (163, 164).

In this class are included:

1. Substantives having σ (ξ, ψ, ττ, or σς), ζ, λλ, or αιν before the final α show ᾰ in nom., accus., and voc. sing., and η in gen. and dat. sing. Thus,

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μοῦσα muse, μούσης, μούσῃ, ἅμαξα wagon, τράπεζα table, γλῶττα tongue, ῥίζα root, ἅμιλλα contest, λέαινα lioness. Others are τόλμα daring, δίαιτα mode of life, ἄκανθα thorn, μυῖα fly.

2. Substantives in ᾰ in nom., accus., and voc. sing., and ᾱ in gen. and dat. sing.

a. Substantives in -εια and -τρια denoting females, as βασίλεια queen (but βασιλείᾱ kingdom), ψάλτρια female harper; so the fem. of adj. in -υς, as γλυκύς, γλυκεῖα sweet.

b. Abstracts in -εια and -οια from adjectives in -ης and -οος, as ἀλήθεια truth (from ἀληθής true), εὔνοια good will (from εὔνους, εὔνοος kind, 290).

c. Most substantives in -ρα after a diphthong or ῡ, as μοῖρα fate, γέφῡρα bridge.

220.  Exceptions to 219, 1:  κόρση temple (later κόρρη), ἕρση dew; to 2 b:  in Attic poetry, ἀληθείᾱ, εὐνοίᾱ, ἀγνοίᾱ ignorance, which owe their ᾱ to the influence of the genitive and dative ἀληθείᾱς, ἀληθείᾳ, etc.

221.  Most, if not all, of the substantives in ᾰ are formed by the addition of the suffix ι ̯α or ια (20); thus, γλῶττα from γλωχ-ι ̯α (cp. γλωχῖν-ες points), γέφῡρα from γεφυρ-ι ̯α, δότειρα giver from δοτερ-ι ̯α (and so φέρουσα bearing from φεροντι ̯α), μοῖρα from μορ-ι ̯α, ψάλτρ-ια.

ταμίᾱς steward, Αἰνείᾱς Aeneas, –ναύτης sailor, τοξότης bowman, στρατιώτης soldier, δεσπότης ruler, –μαθητής pupil, ποιητής poet – Πέρσης Persian.

223.  Accent. – The vocative of δεσπότης lord is δέσποτα. 

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224.  ᾱ and η. – In the final syllable of the singular ᾱ appears after ε, ι, and ρ; otherwise we find η. Cp. 218.

a. Exceptions are compounds in -μέτρης: γεω-μέτρης measurer of land.

225.  Genitive singular. – The form in -ου is borrowed from the genitive singular of the second declension. A few words in -ᾱς, generally names of persons not Greeks, have -ᾱ, the Doric genitive (214 D. 5): Ἀννίβᾱς Hannibal, gen. Ἀννίβᾱ.

226.  Vocative singular. – Masculines in -ᾱς have the vocative in -ᾱ (νεᾱνίᾱ); those in -της have -ᾰ (πολῖτα), all others in -ης have -η (Ἀτρείδη, Κρονίδη son of Kronos) except names of nations and compounds: Πέρσᾰ Persian, Σκύθᾰ Scythian, γεω-μέτρᾰ (nom. γεω-μέτρης measurer of land), παιδο-τρίβᾰ gymnastic master.

CONTRACTS (FEMININES AND MASCULINES)

227. Contracts in ᾱ or η from εᾱ or αᾱ have the circumflex in all the cases: nominative feminine -ᾶ, -ῆ, masculine -ᾶς, -ῆς.

Other examples: ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ Athena (from  Ἀθηνα (ι)ᾱ-), γῆ earth (γεᾱ- or γαᾱ-) with no plural in Attic, ἡ γαλῆ weasel (γαλεᾱ-), ἡ ἀδελφιδῆ niece (ἀδελφιδεᾱ-), ὁ Ἀπελλῆς Apelles (Ἀπελλεᾱ-).