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The Old English NumeralThe Old English language preserves the system of declension only for numerals from 1 to 3. Here is the list of the cardinal numerals:
1 ān is declined just like a strong adjective, can be only singular, but has masculine, neuter and feminine genders. It is the source of the future indefinite article 'a, an' in Modern English. So 'a house' in fact means "one house", here -n disappeared before a consonant. 2 twā:
No number can be changed for this numeral, and originally this numeral was dual, which seems natural.
3 þrīe:
The numeral begen, bū, bā (both) is declined the same way as twā and is also dual. Ordinal numerals use the suffix -ta or -þa, etymologically a common Indo-European one (*-to-).
The two variants for the word "first" actually mean different attributes: forma is translated as "forward", and fyresta is "the farthest", "the first". Again double variants for the second nominal mean respectively "the other" and "the following". Mainly according to Old English texts ordinal numerals were used with the demonstrative pronoun þā before them. This is where the definite article in 'the first', 'the third' comes from.
Date: 2015-01-29; view: 2430
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