Lower Sorbian/Grammar/Declension of nouns

Hard stems
Hard-stemmed are those nouns that aren't soft-stemmed.

[1] moving vowels: (a) -e-, (b) -o-, (c) -a- (and their soft counterparts), that stay in NOM. sg., but they disappear in oblique cases, e.g. (a) wogeń-wognja `fire`, wugeń-wugnja `chimney`, wugel-wugla `coal`, robel-robla `sparrow`, keŕ-krja `bush`, kóśeł-kotła `kettle`, nugeł-nugła `corner`, charchel-charchla `reflux`, źeń-dńa `day`; (b) djaboł-djabła `devil`, kozoł-kozła `goat`, wopor-wopra `casualty, sacrifice`; (c) pjas-psa `dog`, błazan-błazna `fool, jester`

[2] the category of animacy

ACC. sg. =

= { animate nouns = GEN.}, e.g. cłowjeka `of a man`

= { unanimate nouns = NOM.}, e.g. dub `of an oak`

[3] the category of personhood (note: every personal nouns is also an animate noun)

ACC. pl., du. =

= { personal nouns = GEN.}, e.g. cłowjekow `of men`

= { impersonal nouns = NOM.}, e.g. duby `of oaks`

[4] endings of hard stem GEN. sg.: (a) –a, (b) –u

(a) -a only nouns:


 * 2- and more sylable nouns, e.g. cłowjek-cłowjeka
 * animate nouns, np. syn-syna `son`, pjas-psa
 * (1) most `bridge`, (2) list `letter; leaf`, (3) kut `corner`, (4) kśud `whip; torment`, (5) kwět `flower`, (6) šćit `defence; shield`, (7) sud `court`, (8) pšut `stock; sprout; tail`

(b) -u only nouns: (1) dom-domu `house`, (2) mjod-mjodu `honey`

(c) nouns hesitating between -a/-u endings: 1-sylable unanimate nouns (it happens that a choice of the ending changes the meaning, e.g. dwór-dwóra `farm` : dwór-dwóru `yard`, lud-luda `people, nation` : lud-ludu `people, folk`]

[5] '''LOC. sg. hard stem masculine endings: (a) –je, (b) –u''':

(a) -je only nouns:
 * nouns not mentioned in (b) and (c)
 * exceptional nouns ending with –k: bok - na boce `side`, flak - na flace `place`, Pśiłuk - w Pśiłuce `Preilack`, rarely also jězyk - na jězyce `language`

(b) -u only nouns:
 * nouns ending with -z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -k, e.g. woz - na wozu, gólc - we gólcu `boy`
 * some nouns ending with –d i –g: (1) rod-w rodu `sex`, (2) bog - w bogu `god`*, (3) lud - w ludu*, (4) rěd - po rědu `order` - in that meaning (*), (5) narod - pśi narodu `birth`, (6) nałog - po nałogu `habit` [forms with (*) go only with the -u form]

(c) nouns hesitating between -ja and -u: nouns ending with -u, e.g. brjuch - w brjuchu / w brjuše `stomach`, měch - w měchu / w měše `bag`, proch - w prochu / w proše `dust`

[6] '''DAT. sg. hard stem masculine endings: (a) –u, (b) –oju''': (a) -u only nouns: (b) –oju only nouns: (c) nouns with -u or -oju: the rest not mentioned in (a) and (b)
 * majority of nouns ending with -s, -z, e.g., np. cas-casu `time`, wóz-wózu `wagon`
 * first of the nouns in a concatenation of 2 personal nouns, e.g. kněz faraŕ-knězu faraŕeju `Mr. priest`
 * personal nouns, e.g. nana-nanoju `dad`, syn-synoju
 * nouns with GEN. sg. ending with -u, e.g. dom-domoju, dwór-dwóroju
 * nouns with LOC. sg. ending with -u, e.g. casnik-casnikoju `newspaper`, grěch-grěchoju `sin`

[7] '''NOM. pl. hard stem masculine endings: (a) –y, (b) –e, (c) –i''':

(a) -y only nouns
 * nouns not mentioned in (b) and (c)
 * historically hard-stemmed nouns ending with -z, -s, e.g. pjas-psy, cas-casy, głos-głosy `voice`, woz-wozy, kłos-kłosy `ear of grain`, włos-włosy `hair`, kus-kusy `piece`, raz-razy `time; blow`
 * nouns ended with –tš, np. wětš-wětšy `wind`, jatš-jatšy `Easter`, pśětš-pśetšy `crow beaming`, Pětš-Pětšy `Peter`, kmotš-kmotšy `godfather`
 * rarely also personal nouns ending with -c, alternatively with the ending -c, e.g. gólc-gólcy

(b) -e only nouns
 * nouns ending with -z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -č, e.g. rjeśaz-rjeśaze `chain`, mjasec-mjasece `month, moon`, škórc-škórce `starling`, towariš-towariše `comrade`, muž-muže `husband; man`

(c) -i only nouns
 * nouns ending with –k, -g, np. cłowjek-cłowjeki, nałog-nałogi
 * (1) bratš-bratśi `brother`, (2) stari `parents`

(d) nouns hesitating between -y and -i endings: cart-carśi/carty `devil`, sused-suseźi/susedy `neighbour`, cygan-cygani/cygany `Gypsy`, Žyd-Žyźi/Žydy `Jew`, profet-profeśi/profety `prophet`, nan-nani/nany `father` [forms ending with -y name particular persons, with -i - the whole genus]

[8] GEN. pl. hard stem masculines: beside –ow ending there exist:

(a) null ending - after numerals and prepositions and always in case of settlement names, e.g. korc - pěś korc `tub (measure of volume)`, gody - do god `Christmas`, jatšy - do jatš, kamjeny - do kamjen `oven (pl.tant.)`, pśěg woł `ox carriage`, šesć muž, styri raz, do Dreždźan

(b) -y ending, used in same situations as (a) in case of nouns ending with -z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -č, e.g. pjenez-pjenezy `money`

Soft stems
Nouns ending with ź, ś, ć, j, l, ŕ, b’, p’, m’, ń, w’

[1] Cf. moving vowels (Hard stems 1)

[2] Cf. animacy (Hard stems 2)

[3] Cf. personhood (Hard stems 3)

[6] '''DAT. sg. soft stem masculine endings: (a) –oju, (b) –u, (c) –eju''':

(a) nouns ending with -oju: all, except those mentioned in (b) and (c)

(b) –u nouns:

(1) kij-kiju `stock`, (2) znoj-znoju `sweat`, (3) złoźej-złoźeju `thief`, (4) łokś-łokśu `elbow` (c) –eju nouns: nouns ending with '–aŕ i –al, denoting profession names, e.g. faraŕ-fararjeju `priest`, kowal-kowaleju `blacksmith`

[8] GEN. pl. soft stem masculine endings: apart from –ow ending, there exists -i ending, which is used in those cases, as in point Hard stems, 8a, e.g. tyźeń - wjele tyźeni `week`

Exceptions
[1] a nouns luźe `people`

[2] NOM. sg. źeń `dzień` - GEN. sg. dnja and further on like kóń (alternate LOC. sg. we dnjo) - NOM. ACC. pl. dny

[3] following nouns make special collective plural forms: kněz-kněža `mister-mistress and mistress`, bur-burja `peasant-peasantry`, kmotš-kmotša `godfather-godparents`

Alternative and relic forms
[1] apart from '''INS. pl.''' ending with –ami, there exists INS. pl. ending with –ymi (-imi)

[2] there exist relics of vocative case: (1) kněžo! `mister`, (2) nano! `father`, (3) of deminutives: bratśiko! `little brother`, wujko! `little uncle`, synko! `little son`, (4) of 1-sylable colloquial forms of masculine names: Mato!, Fryco!, Hanzo!, (5) of surnames endings with consonantal groups: Latk - kněz Latko!, Mětk - kněz Mětko!

Masculine nouns ending with -a
They are inflected following the patterns of feminine nouns, e.g. wojwoda `prince`, družba, podružba `best man (on a wedding)`, groba `count`, borša `apprentice`, šołta `commune leader`, nawožeńa `groom`, patriarcha, profeta, itd.; they are generally defined in masculine gender, however, rarely can they stay in feminine, e.g. taka nara, našeje boršy

Hard stems
[1] '''LOC. sg.''' hard stem neuter endings:

(a) –je: a typical ending

(b) –u:
 * an alternative form in over-2-sylable-long nouns ending with -stwo, e.g. w kśesćijaństwu
 * an alternative form of wucho - we wuchu : we wuše `ear`
 * nouns woko – we woku `eye`, łyko – pśi łyku `bast`
 * diminutives ending with –ko, np. blidko – na blidku `little table`

[2] GEN. pl. hard stem neuter endings: apart from –ow ending, there also exists null ending - it follows numerals and prepositions, it's also a default form for settlement names e.g. słowo – wjele słow

Soft stems
Neuter nouns ending with a soft consonant and those ending with -z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -č

[2] also null ending of GEN. pl. (Hard stems 2)

[3] following nouns have ending of '''NOM. sg. -je'''

(1) strowje `health`, (2) zele `herb`, (3) wjasele `happiness`, (4) kopje `copy`, (5) žyźe `velvet`, (6) pjerje `feather`, (7) verbal nouns ending with -nje, np. wuknjenje `learning`

[4] in '''LOC. sg.''' of soft stem neuters there are following endings:

(a) –om: nouns with NOM. sg. ending with –o

(b) –im: nouns with NOM sg. ending with -je, e.g. daśe - w daśi `giving`,

(c) –i: only in a phrase na poli `in the field`

[5] in '''DAT. sg. there is also an alternative ending –oju', often used for 1-sylable nouns (wokno – we woknoju `window`) and verbal nouns (kšyśe – ku kšyśoju ''`hiding`) [6] II palatalisation + corelation i:y - after ź, ś, ć, j, l, ŕ, b’, p’, m’, ń, w’: -i - after z, s, c, ž, š, č: -y

Consonant stems [1]
[1] there are 2 types of thematic extensions (underlined part of a word in the table): (a) jeś:jet, (b) jenj, np. znamje-znamjenja `sign`; in the type (b) belongs also a word mě-měnja `name`

[2] also null ending in GEN. pl. (Hard stems 2) [3] more rarely instead of '''INS. sg.' ending of neuter consonant-stemmed nouns –im'' comes –om

[4] in du. neuter nouns with -jeś:jet- take sometimes also hard thematic extension  –jet–, np. zwěrjetoma

Exceptions
[1] a noun źiśe `child`:
 * in sg. it has only NOM. and ACC.
 * in pl. it's inflected like consonant-stemmed neuter without thematic extension
 * lacking sg. and du. forms are replaced with consonant-stemmed neuter noun with jeś:jet góle

[2] plural and dual number of words (1) woko, (2) wucho similarly wobwócy `eyebrows`, yet woko i wucho in metaphorical meanings - regularly

[3] alternative GEN. pl. of wokno: woken

Alternative and relic forms
[1] apart from''' INS. pl.' ending with –ami there exists ending –ymi (imi)''

[2] in''' DAT. sg. of consonant-stemmed neuter nouns' there can come an alternative ending –oju''

Hard stems ending with -a
+ (1) łdza `tear`,(2) sotša `sister`, (3) kmotša `godmother`

[1] so called IV palatalisation: after k, g ending –i instead of –y, e.g. ruka-ruki

[2] endings of GEN. pl. of hard stem feminines: except from -ow ending there xists null ending, which follow numerals and prepositions and is always used in case of settlement names, e.g. krowa – wjele krow `cow`, wójca – mało wójc `sheep`

Soft stems ending with -a and -wej
+ those ending with historically soft -z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -č [4]

[2] endings of soft stem feminine GEN. pl. : apart from –ow ending there exists also –i : –y ending (Cf. [3]) – it follows numerals and prepositions and is always used in case of settlement names, e.g. duša – wjele dušy

[3] i:y corelation [4] in indlection of feminine soft stem nouns ending with –wej in oblique cases e falls out and w is becoming softened, e.g. cerkwej-cerkwje `church`
 * after ź, ś, ć, j, l, ŕ, b’, p’, m’, ń, w’: -i
 * after z, s, c, ž, š, č: -y

Soft stems ending with consonant
a soft consonant or a historically soft-z, -s, -c, -ž, -š, -č

[2] ending of GEN. pl. of consonant feminines: apart from the ending –ow there exists ending –i : –y (cf. [3]) – it follows numerals and prepositions and is always used in case of settlement names, e.g. rěc – wjele rěcy

[3] i:y corelation (cf. Hard stems 3)

[5] '''LOC. sg. '''endings of consonant feminies:

(a) –i: for nouns ending with a soft consonant (ź, ś, ć, j, l, ŕ, b’, p’, m’, ń, w’), e.g. kazń-kazni `commmandment`

(b) –u: for nouns ending with a historically soft consonant (z, s, c, ž, š, č)

Alternative and relic forms
[1] apart from''' INS. pl.' ending with –ami there exist also an ending –ymi (imi)'', which is particularly often used with the names of domestic animals, np. ''gus - z gusymi ''`goose with geese` [2] a bookish and relatively rare word maś `mother` is a relic of a so-called r-stem declension: GEN. sg. maśerje (maśi) - DAT. sg. maśeri (maśi) - ACC. sg. maśeŕ - INS. sg. maśerju - LOC. sg. maśeri (maśi) - VOC. sg. maśi (maś) - du. and pl. regularly: maśeri, maśerjowu, etc.

[3] a noun kněni `mistress` before surnames isn't inflected, e.g. daj to kněni Krawcowej