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Proto- Germanic

a HighlyInflected Language

Klaipda,

2013

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Proto- Germanic a Highly

Inflected Language

1. Variations in the endings of words.

2. Similarity with classical Latin.

3. Inflecting nouns for case.4. System of case inflections is

inherited from Proto-Indoeuropean.

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Latin Noun Declension

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Family Tree for the North

Germanic Languages

North Germanic

(Old Norse)

West Scandinavian East Scandinavian

Icelandic Norwegian Faroese Danish Swedish Gutnish

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Family Tree for the East

Germanic Languages

East Germanic

Burgundian Vandal Gothic

Visigothic Ostrogothic

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Family Tree for the West

Germanic Languages

West Germanic

Old High German Old Saxon Old LowFranconian

Dutch

Anglo-Frisian

High German Low German Old English Old Frisian

English Frisian

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Cases of the Proto-Germanic

1. Proto-Indoeuropean: 8 cases.

2. Latin: 5-6 cases.

3. Proto-Germanic: 4-5 cases:

Nominative,

Accusative,

Genitive,

Dative,(Instrumental, Vocative, Locative).

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Number in the Proto-Germanic

1. Singular

2. Plural

3. Dual (two of a thing)Particular inflectional paradigm isavailable for each

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Grammatical Gender

No connection with biological sex:

Masculine,

Feminine, Neuter,

Das Mdchen, die Polizei; t wf

(neuter), se wfmann (masculine).

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Proto-Germanic Adjective

1. Adjectives are inflected according to the samecase and number of the noun to which theyare attached.

2. Adjectives agree with the noun in gender.

3. Two distinct sets of inflections, called strongand weakdeclensions are distinguished.

4. Strong declension is used when adjective isattached directly to the noun, as in gdmann.

5. Weakdeclension is used when adjective isattached to the article or the demonstrative

pronoun that precedes the noun, as in se

gdamann.

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Functional Parts of Speech

1. The article: agrees with the noun in

gender, number and case: so lr(feminine), se wfmann (masculine),

t wf(neuter).

2. The article is declined according to thecase and number of the noun.

3. The pronoun possessed dual formsalongside with the sng. and pl. Forms ofthe personal pr.: ic, w, and wit(we

two),, g, and git(you two).

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The Verb

1. Two tense forms: Presentand Past.

2. Diverse paradigm of inflections fordifferent persons and numbers.

3. Two sets of inflections for the indicativeand subjunctive mood forms.

4. A distinction between strong and weakverbs: strong verbs are marked for the

vowel interchange in the stem fordifferent tense forms I bind, I bound;weak verbs add an interdental inflection, d in the stem skja, skida.