er Nouns.}

Sec. 46.

{First Declension.}--To this declension belong all neuter nouns which
have their nominative case singular and plural alike. It includes three
different types of nouns: (a) The old neuter {a-}stems like {wort},
_word_, {venster}, _window_. (b) The old neuter {ja-}stems like {k[u:]nne},
_race_, _generation_, {bette}, _bed_, {netze}, _net_. The characteristic
of this type of noun is that it has umlaut in all forms of the singular
and plural when the stem-vowel is capable of it (cp. Sec. 31, 3). And (c)
the old neuter {wa-}stems (cp. Sec. 36) like {knie}, _knee_, gen. {kniewes}.

SING.

Nom. Acc. wort venster k[u:]nne knie
Gen. wortes vensters k[u:]nnes kniewes (knies)
Dat. worte venster k[u:]nne kniewe (knie)

PLUR.

Nom. Acc. wort venster k[u:]nne knie
Gen. worte venster k[u:]nne kniewe (knie)
Dat. worten venstern k[u:]nnen kniewen (knien)

(a) On the interchange between the fortes {p, t, c} and the lenes {b, d,
g}, as in {grap}, _grave_, {g[e:]lt}, _money_, {dinc}, _thing_, gen.
{grabes}, {g[e:]ldes}, {dinges}, see Sec. 33.

Like {venster} are declined the neuter polysyllabic nouns ending in
{-el}, {-em}, {-en}, {-er}, as {luoder}, _bait_, {w[a]fen}, {w[a]pen},
_weapon_; {schapel}, _garland_, {gadem}, _house_, {w[e:]ter}, _weather_. On
the endings, see Secs. 9, 42.

(b) Like {k[u:]nne} is also declined the old neuter {u-}stem {vihe} (OHG.
{fihu}), _cattle_.

(c) Like {knie} are declined {m[e:]l}, _meal_, {r[e]} (also masc.), _corpse_,
{sm[e:]r}, _fat_, {str[o]}, _straw_, {tou}, _dew_, {w[e]}, _woe_, gen.
{m[e:]lwes}, {r[e]wes}, {sm[e:]rwes}, {str[o]wes}, {touwes}, {w[e]wes},
see Sec. 36.

Sec. 47.

{Second declension.}--To this declension belong all neuter nouns which
form their plural in {-er} and by umlaut of the stem-vowel when it is
capable of it. This class of nouns corresponds to the Latin neuters in
{-us}, as {genus}, gen. {generis}, pl. {genera}. The {-er} (OHG. {-ir})
was originally a stem-forming suffix which came to be regarded as a
plural ending. In the oldest period of the language only about
half-a-dozen nouns belonged to this class, but during the MHG. period
nearly twenty neuter {a-}stems passed into this declension, and in NHG.
the number has increased to about a hundred.

SING. PLUR.
MHG. OHG.