The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON

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28 Alem.), TURMENTAS (= TOR-; Form. Andec.), TESTIMONIAS and VESTIMENTAM (Esp. Sagr.), NOVA (Ann. Genuens.), ORCIOLAS (= URCE-; Pelag.), BATALIAM (Mon. Hist. Pat.), VICTUALIAE (gen. sing.; Chron. Altin.), MANCIPIAS (Praec. Loth.), MURAS (Spain, 959 A.D.). In addition, H. Suchier (in Arch. Lat. Lex.) quotes VELAS and MIRABILIAS. Note also that by this time OPERA has absorbed the plural of OPUS, which only remains in the phrase OPUS EST and related uses. Then there are also some new formations, such as SPICULA beside SPICUL-UM/-US, CRINICULA, CAMPANIAM (Greg.; cf. n. pl. CAMPANIA), which are of relevance for Romance. Note also that OMNIA has become a singular adjective (see examples in §8 below). Besides these, we have further examples of Greek neuter singular: in -MA that have become feminine: CHRISMA (eccles. Latin, e.g. CRISMAM, Caes. Arel., 6th c.), SAGMA, with the forms SAUMAS/SAOMAS/SOMA (dating from the 3rd c., Veget., Vulg., Tardif, Gl. Reich.), FLEUMMAS (from PHLEGMA, Frod. et Imp.), ANATHEMA (inscr. in Spain). Here let me also include an interesting quotation I have found in Alvar & Pottier, Morfología Histórica del Español, §32, n. 29, concerning the word OSTREUM ‘oyster’. They quote the grammarian Servius (c. 400) as saying: “Si animal est, neutrum non est, sed femininum; si non est animal, neutrum erit…Ideo ista differentia…servatur…ut ita dicamus frange omnia ista ostrea…et comedi multas ostreas.” That is, the neuter plural preserves the collective meaning, while the feminine is used for the individual oyster. g) Let us add here the further changes of declension between the 4th and the 2nd (examples mostly provided by Grandgent): from the 4th to the 2nd, MANOS (and MANNI, Itala), TONITRUOS, LACUS, MERCATUS, GRADUS, ARTUS, CASUS, LUCTO, IUSSO, PASSOS, USOS, FETOS, PORTICOS (“porticos arcos” in an inscr. in Spain), PORTO, FRUCTO and FRUCTOS, SENATUS (in these last three cases this marks the completion of a process which began in the genitive 28
29 29 singular in early times), SPIRITUS (and n. -UM), GELUS, CORNUS, GENUM, and, from the 2nd to the 4th, SOMNUS (Itala; this may be an instance of hyper-correction). We have also noted the use of LECTUS (4), FRETUS (4), PRATUS (4), FATUS (4) and FURTUS (4) for LECTUS (2) later LECTUM, FRETUM, PRATUM, FATUM and FURTUM, and similarly the pairs of verbal nouns EVENTUS/EVENTUM, RICTUS/RICTUM, PECCATUS/PECCATUM, VISUS/VISUM, to which we may add FRUCTUS/FRUCTUM and IUSSUS/IUSSUM. In addition we have noted the use of GUSTUM for GUSTUS and CIRCUITUM for CIRCUITUS, while another example of close pairs is SPUTUS ‘spitting’ and SPUTUM ‘spittle’. We may also add, from classical times, DICT-US/-UM, FACT-US/-UM, VOMIT-US/-UM, and, in late Latin, DUCTUM, CANTUM, INGRESSUM, REGRESSUM for DUCTUS etc., and conversely PLACITUS, PACTUS for PLACITUM, PACTUM. Note also the correspondence between FLUXA (pl.) and FLUXUS, or ACTA and ACTUS; in this last case earlier versions of the Bible have “Acta Apostolorum”, but this is changed to “Actus Apostolorum” in the Vulgate and later writers. Similarly we find the title “Edictus Rothari” rather than “Edictum”. We have here a key to the fact that in Rumanian, for example, the nouns corresponding to the Latin verbal nouns in -TUS, -SUS all belong to the mixed declension (generally with plurals in -e, though, as we have just seen in §4e, others in -uri are also found), even though many of these words are new formations or learned borrowings. The fact is that, as neuter participles gradually came to be used as nouns, a natural confusion arose between these and the old verbal nouns in -TUS, -SUS (hence the reverse process leading to the formation of PRATUS, FATUS, FURTUS); in the singular, as we have seen, the masculine forms would take over from the neuter, while in the plural the collective sense would predominate, so the old plurals in -ŪS would disappear from the verbal nouns. Add to this the fact that, as we have seen, the 4th-declension forms in general gave place to the 2nd, and also that many of the words in this declension were of the kind that naturally adopted collective plurals, such as GRADA ‘steps’, ‘stairs’, PASSA ‘(foot)steps’
Page 1 and 2: 1 1 The Latin Neuter Plurals in Rom
Page 3 and 4: individually. 3 3 Such treatments a
Page 5 and 6: 5 5 stages of the language. (Incide
Page 7 and 8: 7 7 preserved in Italian, such as t
Page 9 and 10: 9 9 ‘well’, CAPILLUM ‘hair’
Page 11 and 12: etween the 2nd and 4th declensions)
Page 13 and 14: 13 13 changing their declension in
Page 15 and 16: 15 15 Another popular development w
Page 17 and 18: une formation hybride à cheval sur
Page 19 and 20: 19 19 with acc. pl. LUSTROS, in ins
Page 21 and 22: 21 21 OSSUUM/OSSUORUM/OSSORUM/OSSAR
Page 23 and 24: 23 23 inscription (Bourciez, §218c
Page 25 and 26: 25 25 PRAESTIGIUM, INFAMIUM, BLASPH
Page 27: 27 27 Ling. Lat., but Nyrop quotes
Page 31 and 32: 31 31 substantia consumitur” (Ita
Page 33 and 34: 33 33 plural (evidence of the early
Page 35 and 36: 35 35 in Chir.) as ‘leaves’? Th
Page 37 and 38: 37 37 loanwords and verbal nouns; i
Page 39 and 40: 39 39 singulars are felt to be the
Page 41 and 42: 41 41 language, producing a situati
Page 43 and 44: 43 43 c) Passing now to French, we
Page 45 and 46: 45 45 separated from braç, as are
Page 47 and 48: 47 47 a modern formation). Old Ital
Page 49 and 50: 49 49 ‘powder horns’, ‘corner
Page 51 and 52: 51 51 also represent Latin -NIA (cf
Page 53 and 54: 53 53 ‘heels’ gives the Rumania
Page 55 and 56: 55 55 böila, Eng. böglia, Surs. b
Page 57 and 58: 57 57 de Dial. Esp., p. 346). But b
Page 59 and 60: 59 59 j) Traces of other old neuter
Page 61 and 62: 61 61 uova, with dial. ove or ovi f
Page 63 and 64: 63 63 ‘kneading-trough’, in the
Page 65 and 66: 65 65 8. Numerals and pronominal ad
Page 67 and 68: 67 67 mil and modern mille (masc.).
Page 69 and 70: 69 69 OFr. nu(l)s, nule, Prov. nuls
Page 71 and 72: 71 71 find the meaning ‘leaf’,
Page 73 and 74: 73 73 in the areas which use -i for
Page 75 and 76: 75 75 c) Let us now look at the sit
Page 77 and 78: 77 77 turn to the dialects to find
Page 79 and 80:
79 79 matching these also ulivo/uli
Page 81 and 82:
81 81 corme), corne (OFr. cornelle)
Page 83 and 84:
83 83 beside cuerno/corgno, prunell
Page 85 and 86:
85 85 cerezal ‘cherry orchard’,
Page 87 and 88:
87 87 ‘holm-oak’ tree, but Arag
Page 89 and 90:
89 89 péšego), with another varie
Page 91 and 92:
91 91 the Piedmontese form la figa
Page 93 and 94:
93 93 assisted by the feminine noun
Page 95 and 96:
95 95 (oak), roveto (bramble), vign
Page 97 and 98:
97 97 r) The position in Catalan is
Page 99 and 100:
99 99 native to the area all right,
Page 101 and 102:
101 101 but the fortuitous similari
Page 103 and 104:
103 103 trufa from French, Ptg. tub
Page 105 and 106:
105 105 Italian plurals in -ora and
Page 107 and 108:
107 107 account for Prov. nos (besi
Page 109 and 110:
109 109 Italian as the Latinism fri
Page 111 and 112:
111 111 Sard. pettorale. PIGNORA is
Page 113 and 114:
113 113 FUNDUS, ARCUS, COLFUS, NODU
Page 115 and 116:
115 115 from a late Greek form kól
Page 117 and 118:
117 117 like cambiora, digiunora, f
Page 119 and 120:
119 119 down by purely popular tran
Page 121 and 122:
121 121 examples I have given above
Page 123 and 124:
123 123 note that -egl- > -agl- is
Page 125 and 126:
125 125 dictionary ascribes the Ita
Page 127 and 128:
127 127 with the same meaning. This
Page 129 and 130:
129 129 ‘brotherhood’, and the
Page 131 and 132:
131 131 Vegl. fyasta (the Rum. fest
Page 133 and 134:
133 133 ‘salary’, and in these
Page 135 and 136:
135 135 legenda, Fr. (learned) lég
Page 137 and 138:
137 137 the widespread forms corres
Page 139 and 140:
139 139 morceau, Engl. bit), It. bo
Page 141 and 142:
141 141 languages the first consona
Page 143 and 144:
143 143 spread to the Iberian Penin
Page 145 and 146:
145 145 Rhaeto-Romance. From VINCUL
Page 147 and 148:
147 147 VISCUM ‘mistletoe’. Fro
Page 149 and 150:
149 149 are also forms without clas
Page 151 and 152:
151 151 also lists Rum. par as “n
Page 153 and 154:
153 153 of ACUS ‘needles’, wher
Page 155 and 156:
155 155 become a singular meaning
Page 157 and 158:
157 157 From LINTEA ‘linen cloths
Page 159 and 160:
159 159 esquírola ‘ditto’. Fro
Page 161 and 162:
161 161 Rum. răza is ‘scrape’,
Page 163 and 164:
163 163 combination of meanings; in
Page 165 and 166:
165 165 has at the same time become
Page 167 and 168:
167 167 üj ‘grape’. Similarly
Page 169 and 170:
169 169 feminines; examples are It.
Page 171 and 172:
171 171 feminine noun which has nei
Page 173 and 174:
173 173 Cat. bolla ‘seal on cloth
Page 175 and 176:
175 175 Lat. VENA. Spanish seems to
Page 177 and 178:
177 177 Heidelberg, 1920; Romanisch
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