Proto- Germanic a Highly Inflected Language

Klaipda, 2013

Proto- Germanic a Highly Inflected Language

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Variations in the endings of words. Similarity with classical Latin. Inflecting nouns for case. System of case inflections is inherited from ProtoIndoeuropean.

Latin Noun Declension

Family Tree for the North Germanic Languages

North Germanic (Old Norse)

West Scandinavian

East Scandinavian

Icelandic

Norwegian

Faroese

Danish

Swedish

Gutnish

Family Tree for the East Germanic Languages

East Germanic

Burgundian

Vandal

Gothic

Visigothic

Ostrogothic

Family Tree for the West Germanic Languages

West Germanic

Old High German

Old Saxon

Old Low Franconian

Anglo-Frisian

High German

Low German

Dutch

Old English

Old Frisian

English

Frisian

Cases of the Proto-Germanic

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Proto-Indoeuropean: 8 cases. Latin: 5-6 cases. Proto-Germanic: 4-5 cases: Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, (Instrumental, Vocative, Locative).

Number in the Proto-Germanic

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Singular Plural Dual (two of a thing) Particular inflectional paradigm is available for each

Grammatical Gender
No connection with biological sex: Masculine, Feminine, Neuter, Das Mdchen, die Polizei; t wf (neuter), se wfmann (masculine).

Proto-Germanic Adjective
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Adjectives are inflected according to the same case and number of the noun to which they are attached. Adjectives agree with the noun in gender. Two distinct sets of inflections, called strong and weak declensions are distinguished. Strong declension is used when adjective is attached directly to the noun, as in gd mann. Weak declension is used when adjective is attached to the article or the demonstrative pronoun that precedes the noun, as in se gda mann.

Functional Parts of Speech

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The article: agrees with the noun in gender, number and case: so lr (feminine), se wfmann (masculine), t wf (neuter). The article is declined according to the case and number of the noun. The pronoun possessed dual forms alongside with the sng. and pl. Forms of the personal pr.: ic, w, and wit (we two), , g, and git (you two).

The Verb
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Two tense forms: Present and Past. Diverse paradigm of inflections for different persons and numbers. Two sets of inflections for the indicative and subjunctive mood forms. A distinction between strong and weak verbs: strong verbs are marked for the vowel interchange in the stem for different tense forms I bind, I bound; weak verbs add an interdental inflection , d in the stem skja, skida.