Re: What do you call this suffix?

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:54:02 +0300, Josh Roth wrote:

>> This reminds me of the phenomenon that in certain Alemannic German
>> dialects, the definit article takes a different form when it is followed
by an
>> adjective or a noun. I don't have any idea how to call this either:
>>
>> d h�ser
>> the-Nom-Plur houses
>> 'the houses'
>>
>> di gr�ene h�ser
>> the-Nom-Plur-? green-Nom-Plur-Weak houses
>> 'the green houses'
>>
>> di gr�ene
>> the-Nom-Plur-? green-Nom-Plur-Weak
>> 'the green ones'
>
>Interesting.... (Is that first one supposed to be just 'd' without a vowel?)
>Do you know how this distinction originated?
The first "d" has no vowel, and that's what makes the difference between the
non-adjective and adjective forms. I have no idea how the distinction
originated. The article, at least, originates either form Middle High German
"diu" or from Middle High German "die", if I'm not mistaken. It is used
either as nominative/accusative plural definit article or as
nominative/accusative singular feminine definit article. The other articles
are not adjective-sensitive, so to say.

Perhaps -- though I wouldn't know how -- that article alternation might be
related to the peculiar Germanic alternation in adjective declension that
depends on the definitness of the phrase. I thought that alternation was
found in older stages of all Germanic languages. It persists for example in
German. It is called "strong" vs. "weak" adjective declension:

das/dieses einfachE Beispiel
the-Neutr-NomAcc/this-Neutr-NomAcc simple-Neutr-NomAcc-Weak example
'the/this simple example'

(ein) einfachES Beispiel
(a-Neutr-NomAcc) simple-Neutr-NomAcc-Strong example
'(a) simple example'

The paradigm of adjective declensions varies a lot between different
dialects of German, and even small areas.

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gr�ess
mach