9

Feminine Nouns and the Definite Article

I. Feminine Nouns

In our last lesson, we learned endings for nouns that were masculine. Now we add nouns that are FEMININE. For the THIRD DECLENSION, feminine nouns use the same case endings as masculine nouns:

II. The Trouble with Sigma

As noted in our discussion of masculine nouns, two of the case endings involve adding a sigma to the stem: nominative singular = –ς, dative plural = –σι. Let us take a look at the sound changes that occur when these sigmas are added to the stems for two feminine nouns:

• ἐλπιδ hope
• νυκτ night

Note that the first stem, ἐλπιδ, ends in a dental (-τ/-δ/-θ). As we know, when a sigma follows a dental, the dental disappears and the sigma remains: e.g., δ + σ = σ. The second stem, νυκτ, ends in –κτ, a stem ending that the Greeks treated as essentially the same as a palatal (-κ/-γ/-χ). Recall that when a sigma follows a palatal, the result is the double consonant ξ: e.g., κ + σ = ξ (S 241).

With these sound changes in mind, note how ἐλπιδ and νυκτ decline:

ἡ ἐλπίς, ἐλπίδος hope (S 257)

ἡ νύξ, νυκτός night

III. The Definite Article

Note that the vocabulary entry for our two nouns begins with ἡ. This is the DEFINITE ARTICLE for all FEMININE NOUNS (S 332; GPH p. 41). Recall that the definite article in Greek must match its noun in gender, number, and case. As with the masculine forms of the definite article, the feminine needs eight forms to cover the two numbers (singular and plural) and four cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative):

Most nouns have only one grammatical gender, such as:

• ἡ ἐλπίς, ἐλπίδος hope

A handful of nouns referring to people or gods, however, can be either MASCULINE or FEMININE, depending on the gender of the person/divinity. In such instances, the vocabulary entry includes both the masculine and feminine article.

• ὁ, ἡ παῖς, παιδός (male or female) child
• ὁ, ἡ δαίμων, δαίμονος (male or female) divinity

IV. Some Examples

Remember that when a definite article accompanies a noun, both must parse the same. In other words, they must be the same in gender, number, and case. Note the following examples:

ἡ ἐλπίς, ἐλπίδος hope

ἡ νύξ, νυκτός night

ἡ παῖς, παιδός girl

ἡ δαίμων, δαίμονος goddess

Neuter Nouns and the Definite Article

I. Neuter Nouns

All the nouns we have so far discussed have been either masculine or feminine in gender and have used the same endings to indicate number and case. The third and final grammatical gender, NEUTER, has similar endings, though with a few changes.

Neuter nouns of the THIRD DECLENSION add the following case endings to their stem to indicate number and case. Note that there is no ending (!) added in the NOMINATIVE and ACCUSATIVE SINGULAR.

II. Sounds That End a Greek Word

One of the most common stem endings for NEUTER nouns of the THIRD DECLENSION is –ματ. For example:

• σωματ body
• ὀνοματ name

Since τ is a dental, the addition of a sigma to the stem (dat. plu. –σι) results in a sigma: τ + σ = σ.

Interestingly, it is a general rule that, unlike English, only a limited number of SOUNDS may END A WORD OF GREEK ORIGIN: a vowel sound, or the consonants –ρ/-ν/-ς (ξ, ψ). If a Greek word ended in any other consonant, that consonant would be dropped (S 133). (The only exceptions to this rule are ἐκ and οὐκ!). Since the neuter adds no ending to the nominative and accusative singular, stems ending in –ματ drop the final –τ, in order to avoid having a word end in this letter (S 258).

As a result, our two nouns decline as follows (S 258; GPH p. 10):

τὸ σῶμα, σώματος body

τὸ ὄνομα, ὀνόματος name

III. The Definite Article

Note that the vocabulary entry for our two nouns begins with τό. This is the DEFINITE ARTICLE for all NEUTER NOUNS (S 332; GPH p. 41). Recall that the definite article in Greek must match its noun in gender, number, and case. As with the masculine and feminine forms of the definite article, the neuter needs eight forms to cover the two numbers (singular and plural) and four cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative):

Remember that when a definite article accompanies a noun, both must parse the same. In other words, they must be the same in gender, number, and case. Note the following examples:

τὸ σῶμα, σώματος body

τὸ ὄνομα, ὀνόματος name

IV. The Neuter Laws

Three rules apply to ALL NEUTER nouns in Greek, regardless of declension.

1. The NOMINATIVE and ACCUSATIVE SINGULAR must be IDENTICAL. This pattern applies to both the neuter noun and its definite article.

2. The NOMINATIVE and ACCUSATIVE PLURAL also must be IDENTICAL, and end in a short –α. This pattern applies to both the neuter noun and its definite article.

3. Whenever any NEUTER noun is the subject of a verb, the verb is regularly 3rd PERSON SINGULAR, even if the neuter subject is plural! The reason seems to be that neuter plurals were originally conceived to be collective nouns (S 958), much as the words army and team are collective nouns in English.

• τὸ φῶς δείκνυσι….
  • The light shows…
• τὰ φῶτα δείκνυσι….
  • The lights show…

– τὸ τέλος –