Gothic/3/Adjectives

Gothic Adjectives
Gothic adjectives can be declined as strong or weak. They are declined according to gender, number, and case. As a rule of thumb, the strong forms are used without a demonstrative pronoun, and the weak forms are used with a demonstrative pronoun. However, certain adjectives are always declined in the weak forms or the strong forms.

Gothic strong adjectives take many of their endings from the declension of pronouns.

braid daur jah rums wigs (Mt 7:13)

"broad (is) is the door and roomy the way".

Weak adjectives take the endings of -n stem nouns, regardless of the underlying stem class of the adjective. Their primary use in Gothic is appositional. The following contrast is most informative:

ik im hairdeis gods

"I am shepherd good"

hairdeis sa goda saiwala seina lagjiþ. (Jn 10:11)

"the shepherd, the good, lays down his soul.

Weak adjectives also accompany a noun in the vocative:

atta weiha (Jn 17:11)

"holy father"

Strong a-stem Adjectives
A-stems are subdivided into pure a-stems, ja-stems, and wa-stems. The endings of a-stem adjectives reflect the endings of a-stem nouns. Wa-stem adjectives decline just like pure a-stems. The adjectives blinds (blind) will serve as a model.

Ja-stems
Ja-stem adjectives are subdivided into two classes like the corresponding declension of nouns: ja-stems with a short syllable and ja-stems with a long syllable.

Ja-stems With a Short Syllable
The adjective midjis (middle) will serve as a model.

Ja-stems With a Long Syllable
This declension is built out of long-stemmed -ja masculine and neuter nouns and long-stemmed -jō feminine nouns. The adjective wilþeis (wild) will serve as a model.

This declension is built out of long-stemmed -ja masculine and neuter nouns and long-stemmed -jō feminine nouns.

Strong i-stem Adjectives
Adjectives of this class have replaced most forms with forms taken from the -ja declension. The adjective hrains (clean) will serve as a model.

U-stem Adjectives
The u-stem adjectives decline like their corresponding noun declension. The genitive and dative of all genders are wanting. The adjective hardus (hard) will serve as a model.

Weak Declension of Adjectives
The weak declension of adjectives agrees exactly with the three nouns hana (cock), hairto (heart), and tuggo (tongue). All adjectives have the same endings, regardless of the underlying stem class of the adjective. The only difference is that ja-stems, i-stems and u-stems have a -j- at the end of the stem.