Quantity

Transfer of Quantity.—ηο, ηα often exchange quantities, be coming εω, εᾱ. Thus, ληός (Epic λᾱός folk) becomes λεώς, as πόληος becomes πόλεως of a city; τεθνηότος τεθνεῶτος dead; βασιλῆα βασιλέᾱ king.

ὁ νεώς temple

a. So ὁ λεώς people, ὁ Μενέλεως Menelaus, ὁ λαγώς hare. Observe that ω is found in every form, and that it takes ι subscript in the dative of all numbers where an ordinary ο stem has ι.

b. There are no neuter substantives belonging to the Attic declension in standard classical literature; but neuter adjectives (289) end in -ων.

c. νεώς and most words of this declension owe their forms to transfer of quantity (34) or to shortening (39). Thus, νεώς is from νηός ( = Doric νᾱός), νεών from νηόν; νεῴ is from νηῷ. λαγώς is contracted from λαγωός.

d. In the accusative singular some words end in -ω or -ων, as λαγώ or λαγών hare. So ὁ Ἄθως, ἡ Κέως, ἡ Τέως, ἡ Κῶς, ὁ Μῑ́νως. ἡ ἕως dawn always has ἕω.

The verbs ἄγνῡμι, ἁλίσκομαι, (ἀν)οίγνῡμι, ὁράω, which began originally with ϝ, show forms that appear to have a double augment; as ἐᾱ́γην, ἑᾱ́λων, (ἀν)ἐῳγον (rarely ἤνοιγον), ἑώρων, ἑώρᾱκα (and ἑόρᾱκα). These forms appear to be due to transference of quantity (34) from ἠ-ϝᾰγην, ἠ-ϝοιγον, ἠ-ϝορων (cp. 433).

Variation of Quantity.—a. In poetry the quantity of ι in words in -ις may differ from that of prose; as in tragedy ὄρνῐς bird, κόνῑς dust, ὄφῑς serpent (in prose ὄρνῑς, κόνῐς, ὄφῐς); so in Pind. ἰχθύ̆ς (prose ἰχθῡ́ς) fish.

b. κῆρῠξ herald, Φοῖνῐξ Phoenician, μάστῐξ whip have long υ and ι in the oblique cases except the dat. pl. (κήρῡκος, Φοίνῑκι, μάστῑγα, etc.). ἀλώπηξ fox has ε in the gen. ἀλώπεκος, etc., by analogy to such words as ποιμήν, ποιμένος (ἀλωπήκων occurs in Ionic). πῦρ fire has πῠρός, πῠρί, etc. (285, 25).

The verb-stem may also show modifications in quantity, as present λῡ́-ω loose, perfect λέ-λῠ-κα.

N.—Various causes produce this variation. λῡ́ω has ῡ from analogy to λῡ́-σω, ἔ-λῡ-σα where the verb-stem λῠ has been regularly lengthened (534, 543). For Attic φθάνω anticipate Hom. has φθᾱ́νω for φθανϝω (28, 147 D.).

Variation in Quantity.—Many verbs of the first class (498 ff.) show variation in the quantity of the vowel of the verb-stem, which is commonly long in the present but fluctuates in other tenses, as λῡ́-ω, λῡ́-σω, ἔλῡ-σα, but λέλῠ-κα, λέλῠ-μαι, ἐλύ̆-θην. (Other examples, 500.)

a. Some verbs of the Fourth Class (523 c) lengthen a short vowel of the present in some other tenses. Thus, λαμβάνω (λαβ-) take, λήψομαι, εἴληφα, εἴλημμαι, ἐλήφθην, but 2 aor. ἔλαβον.