A Simplified Grammar of the Swedish Language/Part II/Modes of Inflection in Old Swedish
Older Swedish Modes of Inflection.
We give the following examples of the manner in which nouns, adjectives, pronouns and nouns were inflected in the Forn-Svenskan (Ancient Swedish), in order to show the leading characteristic differences between that earlier form of the language and Modern Swedish.
As has already been noticed in the Introduction, the so-called Forn-Svenskan which was spoken by Goths as well as Swedes, and which was almost identical with the Dönsk Tunga (Danish Tongue), and Forn-Norskan (Ancient Norse) of the early Northmen, continued with slight modifications to be the spoken speech of the Swedish people till about the time of the Reformation. At that period, under Gustaf Vasa, the language passed to that middle stage of its development which is characterized as that of Gammal-Svenskan, or Old Swedish, in contradistinction to its latest and still existing phase Ny-Svenskan, or Modern Swedish.
In Forn-Svenskan we have, therefore, the earliest intermediate link between the Swedish of our own times and the Old Northern, which was the common tongue of all the Scandinavian peoples before their separation into distinct nations as Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes. This remnant of ancient Scandinavian consequently possesses an interest second only to that of its sister-form of speech the Icelandic, or Forn-Norskan of the ninth century, whose earliest literary remains are admitted to be the most perfect representatives extant of the so-called Old Northern. And if Forn-Svenskan has comparatively little importance from a merely literary point of view, a study of its grammatical structure, and of numerous survivals in the later forms of Swedish, will be found to throw considerable light on the process of development through which many English as well as Scandinavian words have passed, showing that notwithstanding their actual differences they have had one common origin.
Nouns.
Strong mode of declension without the Article.
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Neuter. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing.: | N. | brander, fire. | sak, thing. | land, country. |
| G. | brands | sakar | lands | |
| D. | brandi(e) | saku(sak) | landi(e) | |
| A. | brand | sak | land | |
| Plur.: | N. | brandar | sakar(ir, er) | land |
| G. | branda | saka | landa | |
| D. | brandum(om) | sakum(om) | landum(om) | |
| A. | branda | sakar | land. |
With the Article.
| Sing. | N. | brandrin(en) | sakin(en) | landit(et) |
| G. | brandsins | sakinnar | landsins |
| Masculine. | Feminine. | Neuter. | ||
| D. | brandinum | sakinni | landinu | |
| A. | brandin | sakina | landit | |
| Plur.: | N. | brandanir (ni, ne) | sakanar (na) | landin (en) |
| G. | brandanna | sakanna | landanna | |
| D. | brandumin | sakumin | landumin | |
| A. | brandana | sakanar | landin |
Strong Mode of Declension of Adjectives.
| Sing.: | N. | goðer, good. | goð | got |
| G. | goðs | goðrar | goðs | |
| D. | goðum (om) | goðri | goðu (o) | |
| A. | goðan | goða | got | |
| Plur.: | N. | goðir | goðar | goð |
| G. | goðra | goðra | goðra | |
| D. | goðum (om) | goðum (om) | goðum (om) | |
| A. | goða | goðar | goð. |
Comparative, bætri, bætra; Superlative, bæsti. bæsta.
Personal Pronouns.
| Sing.: | N. | ik (iak), I. | ðu, thou. | han, he. | hun (hon), she. |
| G. | min | ðin | hans | hænnar | |
| D. | mer | ðer | hanum | hænni | |
| A. | mik | ðik | han | hana (hona). | |
| Plur.: | N. | vir, we. | ir, ye. | ||
| G. | var | iðar | |||
| D. & A. | os | iðer | |||
Demonstrative Pronouns.
| Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | ||||||
| Sing. | N. | sar (sa) | su | ðat, 'that.' | ||||
| G. | ðes | ðeirrar | ðes | |||||
| D. | ðeim | ðeirri | ðy | |||||
| A. | ðan (ðæn) | ða | ðat | |||||
| Plur. | N. | ðeir | ðær | ðau, 'those.' | ||||
| G. | ðeirra | ðeirra | ðeirra | |||||
| D. | ðeim | ðeim | ðeim | |||||
| A. | ða | ðær | ðau | |||||
| Sing. | N. | ðessi | ðessi | ðetta, 'this.' | ||||
| G. | ðessa | ðessar | ðessa | |||||
| D. | ðessum | ðessi | ðessu | |||||
| A. | ðenna | ðessa | ðetta | |||||
| Plur. | N. | ðessir | ðessar | ðessi, 'these.' | ||||
| G. | ðessa | ðessa | ðessa | |||||
| D. | ðessum | ðessum | ðessum | |||||
| A. | ðessa | ðessar | ðessi. | |||||
The third demonstrative pronoun in Old Swedish hin, hin, hint, from which the modern definite and terminal affix-articles have been derived were declined like the possessive pronouns min, 'my;' ðin, 'thy,' &c.
| Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | ||
| Sing. | N. | hin | hin | hint (hit), 'this,' 'that.' |
| G. | hins | hinnar | hins | |
| D. | hinum | hinni | hinu, | |
| A. | hin | hina | hint (hit) | |
| Plur. | N. | hinir | hinar | hin, 'these,' 'those.' |
| G. | hinna | hinna | hinna | |
| D. | hinum | hinum | hinum | |
| A. | hina | hinar | hin | |
Verbs.
| Weak mode of Conjugation. | Strong mode of Conjugation. | |
| Infinitive, | kalla, 'to call.' | brinna, 'to burn.' |
| Pres. Part. | kallandi | brinnandi. |
| Perf. Part. | kallaðer | brunnin. |
The supine does not appear in the Old Swedish.
Indicative.
Present.
| Sing. | 1, 2, 3 | Pers. | kallar | brinder |
| Plur. | 1. | " | kallum (om) | brinnum (om) |
| 2. | " | kallin (en) | brinnin (en) | |
| 3. | " | kalla | brinna. |
Imperfect.
| Sing. | 1, 2, 3 | Pers. | kallaði | 1, 3, Pers. | bran |
| 2 Pers. | brant | ||||
| Plur. | 1. | " | kallanðum | brunnum | |
| 2. | " | kallaðin | brunnin | ||
| 3. | " | kallaðu | brunnu (o). | ||
Imperative.
| Sing. | 2nd | Pers. | kalla | brin |
| Plur. | 1. | " | kallum | brinnum |
| 2. | " | kallin | brinnin. |