Gothic possessives, adjectives, and other modifiers in-ata

Abstract

The paradigm of some possessive pronouns, adjectives, and some other modifiers in Gothic contains an instance of morphological variation in the neuter nominative and accusative singular, where the bare stem of the modifier alternates with the pronominally inflected form in -ata (for example, jugg versus juggata ‘young’). In an effort to account for this morphological variation, this paper examines the evidence for the competition between the bare stem and inflected forms in -ata attested in the Gothic New Testament. Further, it assesses the synchronic and diachronic implications of the variation with a view to gaining a better understanding of the development of the Germanic strong modifier inflection. It demonstrates that -ata is a stylistically charged form observed in specific contexts and grammatical environments. From a diachronic point of view, the evidence of -ata sheds light on the development of the Germanic strong modifier inflection, pointing toward a lexical diffusion-type development, with the inflection of demonstrative pronouns spreading across the lexicon of modifiers through possessive pronouns and quantifiers to adjectives and participles.*

Marking of quality modifiers in 2nd-generation IE languages

“…The alternative view posits that the "strong" endings were simply transferred from the pronominal declension to the adjectives, possibly by lexical diffusion (cf. Ratkus 2015). A conciliatory approach appears in Prokosch (1939: 261): on one hand, in stressing the parallelism with Baltic and Slavic pronominalised adjectives, he claims that the "strong" declension adds pronominal elements; on the other hand, he describes the resulting endings as having transferred from the pronominal declension.…”

The Stylistic Uses of Gothic Passive Constructions

“…The use of uns in the Lord's Prayer may be due to the wish to make it more colloquial and intimate." In my own study of the competition between the bare-stem and -ata forms of singular nominative and accusative neuter possessives pronouns, adjectives and other modifiers (Ratkus 2015), I conclude that modifiers augmented with -ata were stylistically charged forms invoked in contexts of second-person address or contexts that warranted an elevated or reverential tone. The availability of these variant forms enabled the Gothic translators to imbue the Gothic text with contextual stylistic nuances or contrasts that were unavailable in the original Greek (and Latin).…”