PROPER NAMES

The Gothic spelling and pronunciation of Greek proper names, and of loan-words generally, were intentionally excluded from the chapter on Gothic pronunciation, in order that what was necessary to be said on these points might be reserved for the Glossary of proper names. The following few remarks, which are mostly confined to the vowels in proper names, will be useful to the learner:—

Greek α is regularly represented by a, as Ἀβιάθαρ, Abiaþar; Ἄννα, Anna; Βηθσφαγή, Bēþsfagei; Δημᾶς, Dēmas; Θωμᾶς, þōmas; Ἰσαάκ, Isak.

Greek ε is regularly represented by aí, as Ἔφεσος, Aífaísō; λεγεών, Laígaíōn; Πέτρος, Paítrus; Βεελζεβούλ, Baíaílzaíbul; but Βηθλεέμ, Bēþlahaím. Cp. § 10.

Greek ι is represented by i or ei. No fixed rule can be laid down as to when it is represented by the one and when by the other. Examples of the former are:— Δεκάπολις, Daíkapaúlis; φιλητός, Filētus; Ἰδουμαία, Idumaia; Συρία, Syria; Ἰακώβ, Iakōb; Ἰησοῦς, Iēsus; Ἰωσήφ, Iōsēf; and of the latter:— Ἰκόνιον, Eikaúniō; Γαλιλαία, Galeilaia; Τιμόθεος, Teimaúpaíus; Σιδών, Seidōn; Σίμων, Seimōn.

ι is represented by aí in Kyreinaíus, Κυρήνιος.

ι is sometimes represented by j before a following vowel, as Ἰάειρος, Jaeirus; Ἰαννῆς, Janēs; Μαρία, Marja, beside Maria.

Greek ο is regularly represented by aú in other than final syllables, as Ὀνησιφόρος, Aúneiseifaúrus; Βοανεργές, Baúanaírgaís; Ἰόρδανος, Iaúrdanus; Σολομών, Saúlaúmōn. Cp. the beginning of § 11.

In final syllables it is regularly represented by u, as 360 Αὔγουστος, Agustus; Μάρκος, Markus; φίλιππος, Filippus; Πέτρος, Paítrus. These and similar words are declined like sunus (§ 202) in the singular, but are mostly declined like i-stems (§§ 196, 198) in the plural.

ο is represented by ō in Aírmōgaínēs, Ἐρμογένης. The u instead of aú in Iaírusaúlyma, Ἱεροσόλυμα is due to the influence of the u in Iaírusalēm, Ἱερουσαλήμ.

Greek υ is regularly represented by 𐍅 in the Gothic alphabet, so that forms like φύγελος, Συρία ought properly to be transcribed by Fwgaílus, Swria, cp. αυ, ευ below. It has however become usual in all grammars, glossaries, and editions of the Gothic text, to transcribe Greek υ in the function of a vowel by y. Inaccurate as this mode of transcription is, I have thought it advisable to adopt the usual transcription throughout this book. Examples are:— Τυχικός, Tykeikus; Ἱεροσόλυμα, Iaírusaúlyma; Ὑμέναιος, Ymaínaius; Συμεών, Symaíōn.

υ is represented by aú in Saúr, Σύρος.

Greek η is mostly represented by ē, as Ἀσήρ, Asēr; Δημᾶς, Dēmas; φανουήλ, Fanuēl; Ἰησοῦς, Iēsus. It is also sometimes represented by ei (cp. § 5), as Ὀνησιφόρος, Aúnei-seifaúrus; Κυρήνιος, Kyreinaíus.

η is represented by ai in Gaírgaísainus, Γεργεσηνός. And beside the regular form Bēþania, Βηθανία, we have the dat. form Biþaniin (Mark xi. 1).

Greek ω is usually represented by ō, as Ἰακώβ, Iakōb; Ἰωσήφ, Iōsēf; Μωσῆς, Mosēs; Θωμᾶς, Ϸōmas; Σολομών, Saúlaúmōn.

It is represented by au in Lauidja, Λωΐς; Trauada, Τρῳάς; cp. the end of § 11. And by ū in Rūma, Lat. Rōma.

Greek αι, which was a long open e-sound like the ǣ in OE. slǣpan, is regularly represented by ai, as Ἀλφαῖος, Alfaius; Ναιμάν, Naiman; Ἰδουμαία, Idumaia; Φαρισαῖος, Fareisaius; cp. the close of § 10.

αϊ is represented by aei, as Βηθσαϊδά, Bēþsaeida; Ἠσαΐας, Ēsaeias.

Greek ει, which was a long i-sound, is regularly represented by ei (§ 3), as Δαυείδ, Daweid; Ἰάειρος, Jaeirus.

Greek αυ is represented by aw, as Δαυείδ, Daweid; Παῦλος, Pawlus. Agustáu (Luke ii. 1) is probably a mistake for Awgustáu.

Greek ευ is represented by aíw, as Εὐνίκη, Aíwneika; Λευΐς, Laíwweis; εὐαγγέλιον, aíwaggēljō.

Greek ου, which was a long close u-sound, is regularly represented by u, as Αὔγουστος, Agustus; Φανουήλ, Fanuēl; Ἰδουμαία, Idumaia; Ἰησοῦς, Iēsus; Ἰούδας, Iudas; Καφαρναούμ, Kafarnaum.

The Gothic representation of the Greek consonants in proper names requires but little comment. The Greek consonants are generally represented by the corresponding Gothic equivalents, that is β, γ, δ, ζ, θ, κ, λ, μ, ν, ξ, π, ρ, σ (ς), τ, φ, ψ are almost in every case regularly represented by b, g, d, z, þ, k, l, m, n, ks, p, r, s, t, f, ps respectively. For examples see the Glossary below. The following points require to be noticed:—

The Greek spiritus asper is generally represented by h, as Ἑλισαῖος, Haíleisaius; Ἡλίας, Hēlias; Ἡρωδιανός, Hērōdianus; it is however also occasionally omitted, as in Ἱερουσαλήμ, Iaírusalēm.

An h has sometimes been inserted in the Gothic form between two vowels, as Ἀβραάμ, Abraham; Βηθλεέμ, Bēþlahaím; Ἰωάννης, Iōhannēs.

For Greek τ we have þ in Nazareiþ, Ναζαρέτ.

Greek χ is represented by X in Xristus, Χριστός; but it is generally represented by k, as Antiaúkia, Ἀντιοχία; Tykeikus, Τυχικός. On the other hand Greek κ is represented by X in Xrēskus, Κρήσκης.

The inflected forms of Greek proper names in Gothic are given in the Glossary below, so far as they occur in 362the specimens which I have chosen. No hard and fast rule for the inflection of these words can be given, as they sometimes preserve the Greek endings, sometimes have Gothic endings, and sometimes have a mixture of the two. Most consistency prevails in nouns ending in the nom. in -us, Greek -ος; these usually follow the u-declension in the sing., but the i-declension in the plural.

Throughout the grammar I have followed the usual practice of regarding each of the digraphs ai, au (printed ái, aí, ai; áu, aú, au in this book) as representing three different sounds, see §§ 10, 67, 69, 76, 83; and §§ 11, 71, 73, 80, 84. Some scholars go so far as to assume that the Germanic diphthongs ai, au remained in Gothic in accented syllables, but became respectively long open ǣ and long open ǭ in other positions. It is not, however, improbable that the two diphthongs had become monophthongs in all positions at the time Ulfilas lived, just as e. g. αι had become a monophthong in Greek at a much earlier period, although the αι was retained in writing. It seems almost incredible that a man like Ulfilas, who showed such great skill in other respects, should have used ai for a short open e, a long open ǣ and a diphthong; and au for a short open o, a long open ǭ and a diphthong. Whereas, if we assume that the diphthongs had become monophthongs (ǣ, ǭ), there is nothing incongruous in his having used each of the digraphs to represent two sounds which only differed in quantity but not in quality. This will also account for the fact that he regularly transcribed Greek αι by ai, and αυ by aw, because in the former case the diphthong had become a monophthong, and in the latter case the second element of the original Greek diphthong had become a spirant which at a later period was pronounced v before voiced and f before voiceless sounds.