13 



VARIATIONS IN CASE ENDINGS 



Inspection of the various noun declensions may have raised some doubt on the 

 part of the beginner about the exactness of the previous analysis of case endings. How- 

 ever, the variations exemplified in Section II will be readily understood if one accepts 

 the following pattern of alternations: 



-C/-b,-Ji 



-a/-fl 



-o/-e,-e 



-y/-K) 



-h/-h 



lO_ represents Zero ending, that 

 is, any final consonant except-M] 



Consider the case endings of three masc. nouns and notice how the ending variations are 

 to a great extent predictable from the above pattern. 



Sg. 



PI. 



The same catalyst may be applied to neuter and feminine( -a/fl type) nouns and a similar 

 simplification will result. 



P-sg. and D-sg.(fem.) Ending -e^ 



This ending is out of the pattern of alternations, being regularly -e^for nouns of all 

 genders in the P-sg; the same ending characterizes the D-sg. of fem. nouns. When 

 preceded by the vowel m^ the same vowel is used for the ending, replacing -e, e.g. 



, CTOJi-y; 

 CTOJi-e 



(cjiyqa-K)) (reHH-io) (osep-y! 

 cjiyqa-e rsHM-H osep-e 



[sjxanvi-K)) KOMHaT-e jimhh-m 



3flaHH-M HOMHaT-e JIMHM-K 



Observations about Plural Endings 



As previously pointed out, there are no specific gender endings for three cases 

 of the plural. If the catalyst is applied to the limited variation of endings in these three 

 cases, it will be seen that the simple alternation a/fl is involved. Thus, 



JIMHH-HM flBSp-flM 

 JIHHK-fiX flSep-HX 

 JIMHH-HV.H flBep-HMM 



Consider now the NA cases in the plural: 



