Lesson_016_Attic_Greek_Grammar Flashcards
In Attic Greek, The third declension is also called the consonant declension because it consists of nouns whose stems end in a consonant—or in a vowel that behaves like a consonant by not contracting with other vowels. Unlike first- and second-declension nouns, third-declension nouns are not categorized according to their gender. Instead they are grouped according to the type of consonant (or vowel) at the end of their stem.
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #170
In Attic Greek, The gender of a third-declension noun is relatively unpredictable, so be sure to take not of the definite article accompanying each noun in the Lexile entry.
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #171
In Attic Greek, The easiest way to determine the stem of a third-declension noun is to drop the -ος ending from the genitive singular. Determining the stem from the nominative singular is trickier since the stem appears there in a altered form. Many third-declension nouns have stems ending in a dental (τ, δ, θ), a labial (π, β, φ), or a palatal (κ, γ, χ).
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #172
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the third Declension, (1): The nominative singular looks irregular, but there is logic behind it; knowing how it is formed can help you remember it. Masculine/feminine nouns with stems ending in a stop add -ς (a labial or palatal then combines with -ς to form ψ or ξ, while the dental drops out; e.g., ἀσπίδς → ἀσπίς); masculine/feminine nouns with stems ending in a liquid or a nasal lengthen the stem’s final vowel but do not add an ending (e.g., ῥῆτορ- → ῥήτωρ; if a stem ends in -οντ, the tau drops out, and the omicron is lengthened; e.g., λέοντ- → λέων). Neuter nouns use their pure stem (i.e., the stem in its pure state, with no addition of an ending or lengthening of its final vowel) as the nominative singular but drop any final consonant that is not allowed at the end of a Greek word (e.g., ὄνοματ- loses its final dental and becomes ὄνομα).
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #173
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the Third Declension: (2): The vocative singular is usually identical with the nominative singular, but there are two exceptions: masculine/feminine nouns with stems ending in a dental (e.g., ἀσπίς, -ίδος, ἡ) and masculine/feminine nouns with stems ending in a unaccented vowel + a liquid or a nasal (e.g., ῥήτωρ, -ορος, ὁ; ἀγών, -ῶνος does not fall into this category, because its -ων is accented) use their pure stem as the vocative singular. If the pure stem ends in a consonant other than ν, ρ, ς, ξ, or ψ, that consonant simply drops out; e.g., the vocative of ἀσπίς is ἀσπί, not ἀσπίδ. The vocative plural is always identical with the nominative plural
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #174
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the Third Declension, (3): To form the accusative singular, masculine/feminine nouns usually add -α (e.g., ἀσπίδα, κλῶπα, φύλακα), but if the stem of the noun ends in an unaccented dental, that dental drops out, and -ν is added instead (e.g., χάριν [stem = χάριτ-]). The ending of the accusative plural (-ας) has a short alpha (unlike the first declension’s -ας). The accusative of all third-declension neuter noun is identical with the nominative, in both singular and plural.
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #175
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the Third Declension, (4): The dative plural ends in -σι(ν). The σ unites with π, β, or φ to form ψ, or with κ, γ, or χ to form ξ. Before σ, dentals and ν drop out (e.g., ὀνόματσι → ὀνόμασι; ἀγῶνσι → ἀγῶσι). When the stem ends in -ντ, both letters drop out, and the ο of the stem lengthens to ου (e.g., λέοντσι → λέουσι). Movable ν is added to the dative-plural ending -σι (-ψι, -ξι) just as it is to the verb-ending -σι.
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #176
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the Third Declension, (5) Greek has no labial-stem, palatal-stem, or nasal-stem neuter nouns and only a few liquid-stem neuter nouns (non of which is regular enough to present as a paradigm), but it has many dental-stem neuter nouns.
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #177
In Attic Greek, Special Features of the Third Declension, (6): The accent of third-declension nouns is generally persistent (i.e., the syllable accented in the nominative singular is accented in the other cases too), but nouns with monosyllabic stems are always accented on the ultima in the genitive and dative, singular and plural (with a circumflex above long vowels or diphthongs, otherwise with an acute; e.g., κλώψ, κλωπός, κλωπί; κλωπῶν, κλωψί[ν]).
Attic Greek Grammar Rule #178
