232 Mr. Sankey on the Analysis and Structure 



proper theme, terminating in m or a, as reXcovn, Amix, from 

 TeXwvrj-s-, AtvE/a-f. The nominative, therefore, being itself 

 formed by postfixing y to the theme, as is not unusual in nouns 

 not only of this, and the second declension, but also in the 

 third, it is manifest that if the genitive singular were formed by 

 the same suffix, there would be no difference between these 

 cases. The genitive, therefore, here follows the analogy of the 

 masculine and postfixes o to the dative. In this way we shall 

 account not only for the common [form of these genitives, but 

 even still more immediately for the unusual forms in eco and ao. 

 In order to exemplify this, let us take the word vetpeX^jye^sTajs- : 

 its theme is obviously v£(psXnyspEr'n or vs(ps}^nyEpsroi, which last 

 is indeed found in the vocative and in Attic nominatives — 

 adding, therefore, o to the dative v£(psX'!ny£psTYi or vz(^0\.fiyzpzra, 

 we have two forms of genitive, vEvpsXyjyeperrjo and vs(^sknysp^ra,o, so 

 well known as used by the poets. From vefJJsXajys^ET'yjo again, by 

 throwing the quantity upon the last syllable, according to the 

 poetic rhythm of the Greek tongue, we have vs^sXyjye/jETsw, or 

 even in shortening the o) before the o, according to the prosody, 

 simply their common conversation, we obtain vs(p£X»}ygper£o, from 

 which, regularly contracted, we have the common form vE(pE>v7j- 



AVe now come to the third declension, and here, more than 

 in any other, it is necessary to look for the real theme, keeping 

 in mind, that here the nominative! singular is, in general, no 

 less an inflected case than any other. We are also to observe, 

 that nouns of this declension frequently take r, ^, or 9, between 

 the root and the postfixed characteristic of the case. Further, 

 as the root is often disguised in the nominative, in consequence 

 of the suffixing s producing a change in the characters, whether 

 oral or written, we shall, therefore, find it necessary first to 

 obtain the root analytically from the oblique cases, if not 

 already prepared for us in the vocative, and then synthetically 

 to recompound the cases. 



To exemplify this, let us take o^ous. Here, as we shall see, 

 the radix is in truth disguised ; analysing, however, the genitive 

 case o^Qvr-os, we find it manifestly composed of o^ov the radix, 

 and OS the characteristic of the case, with r inserted. From 

 this radix, then, recompounding the cases, and adding to the 

 nominative its very common characteristic r, we have first 



