1. (a) A-Declension.
§ [89]. The Gothic a-declension contains only masculins and neuters. We distinguish between pure a-stems and ja-stems.
Note. The wa-stems in Gothic differ but very litl from the pure a-stems. Their number is very small ([§ 91], n. 3; [§ 93]; [§ 94], n. 1).
Masculins.
§ [90]. Paradims of the masculins. (a) Pure a-stems: dags, day (< an erlier *dagaz, proethnic Germanic *dago-z, [§ 88], n. 2); hlaifs, (loaf of) bred (proethnic Germanic *hlaibo-z). (b) ja-stems: haírdeis, herdsman (proethnic Germanic *herdio-z); harjis, army (proethnic Germanic *hario-z).
| Sing. | N. | dags | hlaifs | haírdeis | harjis |
| G. | dagis | hlaibis | haírdeis | harjis | |
| D. | daga | hlaiba | haírdja | harja | |
| A. | dag | hlaif | haírdi | hari | |
| V. | dag | hlaif | haírdi | hari | |
| Plur. | A. | dagôs | hlaibôs | haírdjôs | harjôs |
| G. | dagê | hlaibê | haírdjê | harjê | |
| D. | dagam | hlaibam | haírdjam | harjam | |
| A. | dagans | hlaibans | haírdjans | harjans |
§ [91]. Like dags decline many masculins; as, stains, stone; skalks, servant; tains, twig; himins, heven; fisks, fish; wigs, way; wulfs, wolf; fugls, bird (fowl); aiþs (gen. aiþis), oath.
hlaifs shows the hardening of the medial soft spirant when becuming final (cp. [§§ 56]. [79]). So does laufs (nom. pl. laubôs), leaf.
Note 1. The declension of these masculins is identical with that of the masculin i-stems (100) in the hole sg. and in the gen. pl. Only the nom., acc., and dat. pl. can show to which declension they belong. Consequently, a number of masculins which ar not found in those pl. cases cannot with certainty be classified. The testimony of the other Germanic languages, however, wil in many cases enable us to decide. Thus akrs, field; mêgs, sun-in-law; maúrgins, morning; snaiws, snow; maiþms, present, etc., belong to the a-decl.
Note 2. Words which ar not found in the nom. sg. nor in the nom. acc. pl., may be neuter. Thus the nom. to the isolated gen. akeitis (vinegar) may be both akeits and akeit, that to the dat. staþa (shore) both staþs and staþ. Sum of such words ar undoutedly m., as is evident from the adjs. which modify them, or from the cognate dialects; e. g., slêps, sleep; wôkrs, uzury; aúhns, oven; tweifls, dout; môþs, anger (gen. môdis, [§ 74]).