A.2. Definite declension (with the suffigated article) A.2.1. Singular
A.2.1.1. Nominative-accusative.
a) Masculine
The mixing of nominative and accusative is evident where definite nouns are concerned, especially when a noun is followed by a (weak) adjective in accusative, e.g. pollin djuba which repeats the old accusative form pollinn djúpa, nominative pollrinn djúpi. We quote both accusative and nominative forms of the Old Norse archetypes, either separately (Acc. kollinn, Nom. kollrinn) or within the same word (eld(r)inn).
globeren < gláparin de Fors(in) < forsinn
Hessen gula < hestinn gula (Acc), hestrinn guli (Nom) slagi, slaga < ON slaga, slagi
Boens < boðinn (boði)
lavin < hleifinn (Acc), hleifrinn (Nom)
Stakken groiti < stakk(r)inn í grjóti, Stakken sjukka < stakkinn þjukka, Nom. stakkrinn þjukki
hogin/hogen; de Hogen < haginn
de Kollen [Kullen] < kollinn, Nom. Kollrinn de jaderin, jadren (jader) < jaðarinn
dene komene ljus [lusa] < daginn [dǫgun?] er kominn í ljós, Nom.
dagrinn ungadrengen < unga drenginn, Nom. ungi drengrinn Klettin rø < klett(r)inn rauði
monin, Edm. monen < máninn hildin < eld(r)inn
kjosen < kossinn halsin < hálsinn
Pollin djuba < pollinn djúpa, Nom. pollrinn djúpi ratsin < rassinn
simmen < síminn Stenavellen; Vallernes
Hulen, Hulin < hólinn, Nom. hóllinn (otherwise treated as Dat.pl, see A.1.2.3.); Hulen brenda < hólinn brennda, Nom. hóllinn brenndi; Hulen hjoga < hólinn háa, Nom. hóllinn hái (Far. høgi); Hulna hwessa < hólinn hvassa, Nom. hóllinn hvassi (or Nom. plur. hólarnir hvǫssu, see A.2.2.1.);
Hulen [hollen] kwida < hólinn hvíta, Nom. hóllinn hvíti; Hulen rundi <
hólinn rundi; Hul(en) skarpa < hólinn skarpa, Nom. hóllin skarpi; Hulen (Ulna) stura [sturi] < hólinn stóra, Nom. hóllinn stóri
Tuen < þúfan (otherwise í þúfum, see A.1.2.3)
In several cases the old masculine ending -inn shows up in the shape of -a or -e. The conditions of this change are unclear, although it echoes a similar development of the feminine article in Norwegian dialects, cf. ON bókin > Nynorsk boka. Nevertheless, in Norn such cases are registered mostly in masculine. Probably this is an example of the ending -a spreading out as a universal ending of Norn, see f.ex.
J.Jakobsen, "Etymological Dictionary...", "Fragments of Norn", p. XCIII,
"Gryle verse" ("All the old grammatical endings in this verse have been levelled to -a, except in bjadnis <...>").
sagde kolle gambli [kolla gambla] < sagði karlinn gamli spungna ligger i gliggan < spónninn liggr í *glygganum modera handalos < maðr(inn) handalauss
b) Feminine
In feminine the blending of nominative and accusative is especially obvious. Most examples show strong declension which Old Norse endings were in (Nom.) and ina/na (Acc.). In Norn they show up as en/in and ena/na respectively. The weak endings in Old Norse were -an -and -una, in Norn they appear as -en/in -and -ena respectively.
mørena grøna < mýrina grœnu, Nom. mýrin grœna; mørna kwida <
mýrina hvítu, mýrin hvíta; Blomørna < blámýrrin/-ina
Gjona stura < Acc. gjána stóru; Nom. gjáin stóra; Gjona wi' < gjána við Ørna wi < eyrina við
Wona svarta < ána svǫrtu, áin svarta Kusena stura < kǫsina stóru, kǫsin stóra dongjin < dyngjan
skivin < skífan
de Sletten < sléttan
jilder hjolskin! < illa heilsa(n) Grunkens < grunnkan
pirrena < pirruna (alternative interpretation: pirr-hœna)
Smina wi < smiðjuna við
Rivena høgena wi < rifuna hauginn við c) Neuter
The Old Norse ending for nominative and accusative was -it. In a few Norn words the final -t is still on, but most often it is dropped. The vowel is presented as -i, rarely -e.
tungeflet/-it < tungufallit darget (also darg) < darget valne vatne < fallinn í vatnit firsta fari! < fyrsta farit
sommere litla < summarit lítla
Røni fogra < hraunit fagra; de Berrarønis < berghraunit; de Fellarønis <
fellhraunit; Hjogarønis < haugahraunit; Krogarøni < krák(u)hraunit;
Langa-/Longarøni < langa hraunit.
seppalama (*-lami) < søta lambit sjønibøsni < sjónar-bysnit
A.2.1.2. Genitive a) Masculine, neuter
The masculine (and neuter) ending in Old Norse was -ins. Preserved in Norn.
Holsinswart < halsins varða [-i]
b) feminine
In Old Norse The feminine ending was -innar (strong) and -unnar (weak). In Norn the final -r is dropped, the double -nn- is shortened and the initial vocal -i- or -u- reduced, so the outcome is -na:
Wonaswartadal < árinnar-svǫrtudalr
Murnategs < mýrarinnar-teigar; de Mørnabrods < mýrarinnar-brotar?
(or Celt. brod?; also treated as mýranna-brotar, see A.2.2.2.) Nipnafell < gnípunnar-fell (also treated as gnípna-fell, see A.2.2.2.) A.2.1.3. Dative
a) The masculine ending in Old Norse was -inum (strong) or -anum (weak). Norn has most often the ending -en or (respectively?) -an, i.e.
the same as in accusative (see though the account on the language of Hildinakvadet where there still is a different ending).
gleggin, gleggan < glygginum, glygganum ølt i riggen < ilt í hrygginum
Kletten rø < (á) klettinum [klettinn] rauða b) Feminine
The Old Norse strong ending -inni appears as -in in the only example we have found (see also an anological conclusion for the language of Hildinakvadet). No traces of the weak ending -unni have been discovered.
Møren < á/í mýrinni
No examples of dative definite in neuter (Old Norse -inu) are found either.
A.2.1.4. Accusative sg. masc. weak (strong covered above) -ann - Norn -an
agglovan < *agga-klofann, A.sg.def. of klofi Tongan swarta < tangann svarta, tanginn svarti
Rivena-høgena-wi < rifan/rifuna-hauginn-við - a separate form which shows an influence from the feminine ending -ena.
A.2.2. Plural.
A.2.2.1. Nominative a) masculine, feminine
In Old Norse both genders had the endings -ar/-ir/-ur + -nir (masc.)/-nar (fem.). In Norn all these variants have merged into -erne (-ene) which must be a combination of nominative and accusative forms and is very typical for many continental Scandinavian dialects. A slightly different development is shown by donna < dyrnar, where -rn- follows straight after the root vowel.
visterne, visterno < vistirnar Kletterne < klettarnir
Vallernes < vellirnir
Hulna hwessa < hólarnir hvǫssu (or hólinn hvassa, see A.2.1.1.) oba donna [dønna, dønni]! < opna dyrnar!
boochsina < buksurnar (?) b) neuter
de Lediens (ledi) < leitin Nom.pl. of leiti de Rønins < hraunin, hraun
Ennins < ennin, enni
viln (vils) < vilin Nom. pl. of vil de Gilins < gilin grœnu
There are few examples of the ending being -ena (-*eni, -*ini) which is the same ending as exists in Faroese and Danish, unlike the ending -in as in Old Norse:
Gilena grona (< *gilini) < gilin grœnu, Far. *gilini grønu clovena < Nor. klov + in
The following word has formally no neuter plural article, but its final part (-in) does remind it, so that in Faroese and Danish it acquired the final vowel -e/i by analogy from the article. However, this did not happen to Norn:
sotskin < systkin, but Far. systkini, Dan. søskende
A.2.2.2. Genitive plural has a common ending for all 3 genders: -anna [-nanna]. In Norn it is normally preserved as -na, rarely -ena.
Midla jouna [jongna, jungna] < milli gjánna Hwinarigger < kvíanna-ryggr
Hulnarift < hólanna-ript Rivnateng < rifna-tangi
de Mørnabrods < mýranna-brotar (or mýrarinnar-brotar? see A.2.1.2.) Nipnafell < gnípna-fell (or gnípunnar-fell? see A.2.1.2.)
Tegenavall (Tegnivaldjes) < teiganna-völlr Husenvord (Husavord) < húsanna-varða A.2.2.3. Dative
Unfortunately, no definite dative plural forms have been discovered.
A.2.2.4. Feminine and neuter names had identical forms for nominative and accusative plural. Accusative masculine in Old Norse had the ending -ana or -ina. In Norn these endings are merged into -ena or -na.
L(j)øgena grøna < lœkina grœnu, Nom. lœknirnir grœnu Hulna hwessa < hólana hvǫssu, hólarnir hvǫssu
Tegena gronna [gronja] < teigana grinnu [grœnu?], teigarnir grinnu Blettena/blekna grøna < blettina grœnu, blettirnir grœnu
Stakkena grona < stakkana grœnu, stakkarnir grœnu Summary. Singular
(s. - strong, w. -weak, sw. - both strong and weak)
Masc Fem Neu
N sw. en/in,
a sw. en/in s. i(t), w. ? A s. en/in, w.
an
sw.
ena/na s. i(t), w. ? D s. en, w.
an s. en, w. ? ? G s. ins, w. ? s. na, w.
na? s. ins?, w. ? Plural
Masc Fem Neu
N erne erne, na in(i?) A (e)na erne, na in(i?)
D ? ? ?
G (e)na (e)na (e)na
B. ADJECTIVES