[B-Greek] 8 cases originally

Mitch Larramore mitchlarramore at yahoo.com
Mon Jun 20 22:21:39 EDT 2005


Based on the following 2 statements (see below), is it
fair to say that the oldest Greek had 8 different case
endings/forms, whereby we can say that it was an 8
case system before Homer. By the time of the KOINH, it
was a 5 case system.

The two statements from which I draw this conclusion
are from ATR Big Grammar:

The first:
In the original speech the genitive and ablative had
no distinctive endings save in the O stems in the
singular. (pg. 514)


Therefore, the genitive and ablative were
distinguished morphologically, at least partly.

Regarding the locative, instrumental, and dative, this
is stated by ATR...

Monro thinks that "distinct forms for these three
cases survived down to a comparatively late period in
Greek itself." (pg. 535)


Now I don't have Monro (Hom. Gr., p. 97 f.), but he
must have seen some morphological distinctions among
the locative, instrumental, and dative to think this.

Not sure this is important anyway, but Wallace doesn't
seem to think there ever was an 8 case system in FORM,
but these two comments above seem to state otherwise.
Clearly ATR indicates a FORM difference between the
genitive and ablative (O stems singular), and Monro
saw something that made him conclude there was FORM
distinctions with the locative, instrumental, and
dative. What is the debate about, if these two
statements have been verified?


Mitch Larramore
Sugar Land, Texas


		
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