Primary Endings with Connecting Vowels

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Nov 4 12:06:17 EST 2002


At 6:58 AM -0800 11/4/02, Mitch Larramore wrote:
>I want to know if I understand this right. Could
>someone please verify my understanding of the Primary
>Endings and how I arrived at the final forms.
>
>Present Active Indicative:
>   LU- (use O/E for connecting vowel)

You're dealing here, of course, only with "thematic" or -W verbs; -MI verbs
operate a bit differently.

>1st singular: LU + O + # = LUW
>  (O is lengthened to W)

That's the conventional explanation.

>2nd singular: LU + E + ES = LUEIS
>  (E + E = EI)

More probably, it was originally E+SI; then intervocalic -S- was lost, and
a final -S that is characteristic for the second singular was added on from
secondary endings.

>3rd singular: LU + E + I = LUEI

Originally E+TI which became E-SI (-T- tended to become -S- before an E or
I), then the intervocalic -S- was lost, and the ending was -EI.

>1st plural: LU + O + MEN = LUOMEN
>2nd plural: LU + E + TE = LUETE
>3rd plural: LU + O + NSI = LUOUSI
>  (the N drops and O is lengthened to OU)

Slightly more complicated: the ending was -NTI which became -NSI by the
same principle operant in 3d sg., then as you indicate; the -O- is
lengthened compensatorily to preserve the LONG quantity of the syllable
from which the -N- has dropped.

>But what I don't understand is these questions:
>
>1. Why does O lengthen to W in 1st singular?

Various suggestions have been made, including that it came from the -W of
EGW(N); this is really somewhat speculative.

>2. How do you know when to add O or E? The O is added
>to the 1st singular, and 1st and 3rd plural. What
>determines if you add an O or E?

The standard rule is that it's -O- before a nasal (M or N), -E- everywhere
else.

>3. Is the Primary Ending for 2nd singular ES or S?

It's -SI; -S is the secondary 2nd singular ending. But the second singular
in all "thematic" verbs is complicated by the fact that original
intervocalic sigma evanesced and the intolerable hiatus between the vowels
was resolved by contraction (e.g. -E-SO --> -EO --> -OU; -E-SAI --> -EAI
--> (long) Ai --> -Hi.

You might have a look at Smyth's Greek Grammar on-line at Perseus, §§462-463:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007&layout=&loc=462
(be careful of the word-wrap).
-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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