First declension edit
The first declension or alpha declension is considered thematic, with long alpha (ᾱ) at the end of the stem, though it is derived from original athematic Indo-European forms. In Attic Greek, this changes to η everywhere except after ε, ι or ρ. The first declension includes mostly feminine nouns, but also a few masculine nouns, including agent nouns in -της, patronyms in -ίδης, and demonyms.
The first-declension genitive plural always takes a circumflex on the last syllable. In Homeric Greek the ending was -άων (ᾱ) or -έων (from quantitative metathesis of *-ηων). -έων was contracted to -ῶν in Attic.[1]
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Feminine long a-stem (non-US order)
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Feminine long a-stem (US order)
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Feminine short a-stem edit
Some nouns have short ᾰ in the nominative, vocative and accusative singular,[2] but are otherwise identical to other feminine first-declension nouns. They are recessively accented.
Most nouns in this category were formed with the suffix *-ya (sometimes written -ι̯ᾰ).[3] The *y (representing the semivowel [j]) undergoes one of several sound changes with the consonant at the end of the stem:
- *glōkʰ-ya > γλῶσσᾰ, Attic γλῶττᾰ "tongue" (palatalization;[4] compare γλωχῑν "point")
- *mor-ya > μοῖρᾰ "portion" (metathesis;[5] compare μόρος)
- *gepʰur-ya > γέφῡρᾰ "bridge" (compensatory lengthening of υ after loss of ι̯)[6]
- PIE *n̥-leh₂dʰ-es-ya > Proto-Greek *ə-lātʰeh-ya > *a-lātʰeyya > Attic Greek ἀλήθειᾰ "truth" (assimilation of *h to *y; compare ἀληθές "something true")
I suggest a sortable table something like this. Click on Br to sort the table by the British order, and on Tr for the traditional (US) order. By the way I can't see any point in including all three of χώρᾱ, οἰκίᾱ, and θεά – they are all the same, apart from the accent. There are four 1st declension feminine forms, two with a long vowel (χώρᾱ and τιμή) and two with a short vowel (γέφυρᾰ and θάλασσᾰ). So these four should go on the table, together with the two masculine types (ναύτης and νεανίας). Kanjuzi (talk) 18:27, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
| name | sing. | pl. | Br | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | οἰκίᾱ | οἰκίαι | 1 | 1 |
| Vocative | οἰκίᾱ | οἰκίαι | 2 | 5 |
| Accusative | οἰκίᾱν | οἰκίᾱς | 3 | 4 |
| Genitive | οἰκίᾱς | οἰκιῶν | 4 | 2 |
| Dative | οἰκίᾳ | οἰκίαις | 5 | 3 |
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. § 214 D: dialectal first-declension forms.
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. § 219: short-a first declension.
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. §§ 221: suffix -ι̯ᾰ in short-a first declension.
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. §§ 112: κι̯, χι̯ to ττ (σσ).
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. §§ 111: epenthesis of ι̯ suffixed to an, on, ar, or.
- ^ Smyth. A Greek grammar for colleges. § 37: compensatory lengthening.