The geminated consonants remain unchanged when final and before the s of the nominativ: skatts, full, kann, rann, wamm, gawiss; likewise before j (as in fulljan, skattja, kannjan, etc.), but ar as a rule simplified before other consonants: kant, kunþa (cp. kann); rant, 2nd pers. sg. prt., ur-runs, m., a running out (cp. rinnan); swumfsl, pond (cp. *swimman); —but uzually fullnan, only a few times fulnan.
Note. Sum instances of gemination as wel as of simplified gemination in the MSS. ar merely orthografic errors; as, allh for alh; Lu. II, 46; wisêdun (s for ss); inbranjada (nj for nnj); Jo. XV, 6; swam for swamm; Mk. XV, 36.—Such errors ar mostly corrected by the editors. Cp. Bernhardt, 'Vulfila', p. LVII.
§ [81]. The changes of consonants before dentals may, as far as the Gothic is concernd, be embraced in the following rule:
Before the dentals, d, þ, t, all labial stops and spirants ar changed into f, all gutturals into h, all dentals into s, the second dental appearing always as t. E. g.
skapjan, gaskafts ([§ 51], n. 2); þaúrban (*þaúrbda), þaúrfta; giban, gifts ([§ 56], n. 4); —siuks, saúhts; þagkjan, þâhta ([§ 58], n. 2); magan, mahta ([§ 66], n. 1); —wait, waist ([§ 69], n. 2); waírþan, warst ([§ 71], n. 3); biudan, baust ([§ 75], n. 1).
Note 1. Exceptions ar magt (2nd pers. sg.; 1st mag, [§ 201]) and gahugds, mind.
Note 2. st often becums ss by assimilation; as, wissa, prt. of witan ([§ 76], n. 1). Cp. Beitr., 7, 171 et seq.; 9, 150 et seq.; IF., 4, 341 et seq.
Note 3. The rule givn abuv from a practical standpoint of the Gothic grammar must be formulated differently from a comparativ-historical standpoint, because the discust sound-shiftings hav not originated in the Gothic language, but ar reflections of proethnic Germanic and Indo-Germanic relations of sounds. S. Brgm., I, 381 et seq.; 403 et seq.
§ [82]. Assimilations occur only in combination with h (s. [§ 62], n. 3) and us ([§ 78], n. 4).