The Possessive Pronouns are formed, as in German, from the genitives of the two first persons; as, mín (G. mein) mine, my; þín (G. dein) thine, thy; uncer, úre (G. unser) our; incer, eówer (G. euer) your: like other Pronouns in general, they are declined as indefinite adjectives I. Those in -er are usually contracted; as uncre, eów res, and the like. U're forms úrum, úres, &c; but remains unchanged in the whole feminine singular. The poetical úser (usser) for úre is thus declined : The genitive of the third person is used unchanged; his, its, his, hire her, hira their. To make these reflective, the genitive of sylf agreeing with the pronoun, or the indefinite adjective ágen own, agreeing with the noun, must be used; as, þín sylfes bearn thine own son; tó his ágenre pearfe to his own need. Sín occurs in poetry as a possessive of the third person; not however like G. sein, for L. ejus, but for L. suus only. III.-Demonstratives. The Demonstrative Pronouns are pat, se, seó that, likewise the relative which, who, that, and the article the; (1) and pis, pes, peós this.. pæne, pæm, þáre, þæra, are sometimes used for pone, þám, þære, þára; likewise þæs for þás; the s in pise, &c. is often doubled, pissere and pissera occur also for pisse and pissa. The indeclinable pe is used for all cases of þæt, se, seó, as a relative; combined with it it forms pæt-te (4) that which, se-pe he that, seó-pe she that. pæt, se, seó is sometimes repeated in a sentence, standing first as a demonstrative, and next as a relative; but pe commonly stands as (1) Comp. the threefold use of G. das, der, die. (2) Comp. To, ò̟, ǹý, TOV, Tα, TOι, Tai; G. das, den, dem, der, des, &c. D. dat, &c. From seó comes she (G. sie); from pa they, þæm them, þæra their. (3) Comp. G. dies, &c.; þás and þæs have become those and these, (*) pætte is also that (conjunction) G. dass. relative in the second place; as, þæt micle ge-teld pe Moises worhte, the great tent that Moses made. pe is sometimes used along with hit, &c. as a relative; as, pe purh hine through whom. Swá is sometimes used (like G. so) as an indeclinable relative. Ylc same, follows the indefinite declension. Swyle such, is often repeated, standing in the second place adverbially; as, Ele ping on-gitan swyle swylce hit is to understand each thing so as it is. IV.-Interrogatives. The Interrogative Pronouns are hwæt, hwá? what? who? hwyle? which? hwæder whether? which? The first has no plural, and is thus declined: It answers to L. quis not qui, and is never used as a relative with a neuter adjective it governs the genitive; as, hwæt yfeles? what evil? it is also (like G. et-was, was) used not interrogatively, for somewhat, a little; as, hwæt lytles some little. (5) From hwám and hw æs, are whom and whose. V.-Indefinites. The Indefinite pronouns are swa-hwæt(-swa) whatso-ever, swá-hwá (-swá) who-so-ever, swá-hwyle (-swá) which-so-ever, æg-hwæt (ge-hwæt), eg-hwylc, &c. whatsoever, &c. which follow the declension of the chief word in the compound. Others are ælc, each, every one, eall all, ænig any, nænig none whatever, án-lipig (æén-lipig) single, alone, &c. Ge-noh enough is sometimes indeclinable. A'n one, a, and sum some, a, a certain, serve for the indefinite article, which is however often not expressed: sum placed after a genitive cardinal num ber implies one above it; as, fíf-tyna sum one of sixteen, one with fifteen others. Manig (mænig) many sometimes has nom. and accus. plur. manega. Fela much, many is indeclinable: feáwa (fe á) few, sometimes has abl. and dat. plur. feáwum, gen. feára; both often govern a genitive plural; as, mádma fela many treasures; feá worda few words. Man (man) is used (like G. man, and F. on) (') indefinitely for one, they ; as, Me man sægde they told me (G. man sagte mir). From wiht (wuht) creature, being, (wight, whit) are formed a-wiht (á-wuht) contracted to awht, áht anything, ought; and nán-wiht (-wuht) ná wht, náh t(2) nothing, nought. Other indefinite Pronouns are óðer (-or) other, second (L. alius, and alter for secundus), awder, áđer one of two (L. alter duorum), náwder (nador), neither of two (L. neuter), a gder (') Formerly hom, from L. homo. (2) Hence not, like G. nicht from ne-wicht. |