Nouns and Adjectives with Bases Ending in -ι/ and -υ/

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Introduction

In Attic, nouns and adjectives with bases ending in –ι/ and –υ/ are treated as if they end in –ε/ instead. This rule applies in every case but the nominative singular and the accusative singular.

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Intermediate

For nouns and adjectives with bases ending in –ι/ and –υ/, that final vowel is replaced with –ε/ in every case but the nominative singular and the accusative singular:

     πόλι/ > πόλε/
     ἄστυ/ > ἄστε/      

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This change is, morphologically, largely unproblematic, though a few forms will appear unusual at first glance.

In the feminine and masculine, the nominative plural is identical to the accusative plural, though it gets there by a different route:

     πόλε/ες > πόλεις
     πόλε/Ṇς > πόλενς > πόλε_ς > πόλεις

In the nominative plural, we get the expected Attic contraction of εε > ει; in the accusative plural, we get the expected “stretching” of ε into ει.

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In the neuter nominative and accusative plural, we lose track of both the base-final -ε and the neuter plural marker -α due to expected Attic contraction:

     ἄστε/α > ἄστεα > ἄστη

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The genitive singular, on the other hand, appears unusual because it is problematic:

     πόλε/ος > πόλεος > πόληος > πόλεως

The -εο- in the predicted form becomes -ηο- through a process called quantitative dissimilation. That -ηο- then becomes -εω- through a process called quantitative metathesis, resulting in the ‘normal’ Attic ending -εως.

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Vocabulary for this lesson (click here for the full lexicon)