[O.E., M.E., and Mn.E. will henceforth be used for Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Other abbreviations employed are self-explaining.]
[25.]
The a-Declension, corresponding to the Second or o-Declension of Latin and Greek, contains only (a) masculine and (b) neuter nouns. To this declension belong most of the O.E. masculine and neuter nouns of the Strong Declension. At a very early period, many of the nouns belonging properly to the i- and u-Declensions began to pass over to the a-Declension. This declension may therefore be considered the normal declension for all masculine and neuter nouns belonging to the Strong Declension.
[26.]
Paradigms of sē mūð, mouth; sē fiscere, fisherman; sē hwæl, whale; sē mearh, horse; sē finger, finger:
| Sing. N.A. | mūð | fiscer-e | hwæl | mearh | finger |
| G. | mūð-es | fiscer-es | hwæl-es | mēar-es | fingr-es |
| D.I. | mūð-e | fiscer-e | hwæl-e | mēar-e | fingr-e |
| Plur N.A. | mūð-as | fiscer-as | hwal-as | mēar-as | fingr-as |
| G. | mūð-a | fiscer-a | hwal-a | mēar-a | fingr-a |
| D.I. | mūð-um | fiscer-um | hwal-um | mēar-um | fingr-um |
Note.—For meanings of the cases, see [§ 12]. The dative and instrumental are alike in all nouns.
[27.]
The student will observe (1) that nouns whose nominative ends in -e (fiscere) drop this letter before adding the case endings; (2) that æ before a consonant (hwæl) changes to a in the plural;[1] (3) that h, preceded by r (mearh) or l (seolh, seal), is dropped before an inflectional vowel, the stem diphthong being then lengthened by way of compensation; (4) that dissyllables (finger) having the first syllable long, usually syncopate the vowel of the second syllable before adding the case endings.[2]