Old English Pétur Knútsson 2005 Adjectives

Old English adjectives can be weak or strong. Week and strong adjectival declensions: one of the Germanic innovations. Often called “Definite” and “Indefinite” declensions

STRONG WEAK ein guter Mann der gute Mann góður maður góði maðurinn án gód man se góda man

Declensions and conjugations: Nouns, adjectives and pronouns (i.e. all nominals) are said to decline; they are grouped into declensions according to how they decline. Verbs conjugate, and are grouped into conjugations. These are the traditional terms used in Latin grammars: declinare ‘bend, inflect’, and conjugare ‘join together’.

The weak ande strong declensions of adjectives are similar in form to the weak and strong declensions of nouns.

m n f n-s a-s d-s g-s n-p a-p d-p g-p STRONG WEAK m n f n-s gód góda góde a-s gódne gódan d-s gódum gódre g-s gódes n-p a-p d-p g-p gódra gódena

m n f n-s a-s d-s g-s n-p a-p d-p g-p STRONG WEAK m n f n-s góður gott góð góði góða a-s góðan góðu d-s góðum góðri g-s góðss góðs góðrar n-p góðir góðar a-p d-p g-p góðra

STRONG WEAK þæt wæs gód cyning ymb gódne cyning tó ánum gódum cyninge ánes gódes cyninges ríce se góda cyning ymb þone gódan cyning tó þǽm gódan cyninge þæs gódan cyninges ríce Sometimes in poetry without pronominal support:

Áhléop þá se gomela, Gode þancode, mihtigan Dryhtne, þæs se man gespræc. Béowulf 1397-8