Minor Nouns

Minor nouns, sometimes called minor declensions, are the smallest group of nouns. They do not follow the same rules as strong and weak nouns, and though each group only contains a handful of nouns, they are commonly used ones, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with these noun forms so you recognise them when you encounter them.

U-Declensions

U-declension nouns are so-called because, in an earlier form of the language called Proto-Germanic, they all contained 'u' in their inflectional suffixes. In Old English, the vast majority of nouns in this category still end in 'u' but there are a few exceptions. Unlike with strong and weak nouns, there are no neuter nouns, and nouns decline the same for the both masculine and feminine, with little variation between cases. Examine the sentence below, 'Æðele wudu wridaþ under æðelum handa - A noble wood flourishes under a noble hand'.

The only distinction in how nouns decline is between short stems and long stems in the nominative singular. Two-syllable words with a short-stemmed vowel end in 'u' when nominative, for example, 'sunu - son', 'duru - door', 'wudu - wood' and 'medu - mead', while one-syllable words with a long-stemmed vowel end in a consonant in the nominative, for example, 'hand - hand', 'weald - forest', and 'feld - field'.

It is worth noting that by the time Old English emerged, u-declensions were already in decline and so very few nouns fell into this category. In addition, many u-declension nouns took on the endings of strong nouns over time, so you will occasionally come across examples like 'feldas' and 'wealdas' rather than 'felda' and 'wealda'. The later the manuscript, the more likely you will find a regular strong suffix on the noun.

R-Plurals

R-plurals are nouns which add an 'r' between the stem and the suffix when declining in the plural. All r-plural nouns are neuter and, in all other ways, the nouns decline normally as per the rules of strong neuter nouns. Examine the sentence, 'Þa cildru dræfþ þa lambru fram þæm huse - The children drive the lambs from the house'.

There are four nouns in the r-plural category: 'lamb - lamb', 'æg - egg', 'cealf - calf', and 'cild - child'. All nouns decline according to the paradigm below.

Family Nouns

The family nouns are 'fæder', 'modor', 'broðor', 'sweostor', and 'dohtor'. They are the most irregular of the minor declensions but have survived into modern English with only minor sound changes.

In the singular, only the dative of 'modor', 'broðor', and 'dohtor' declines. The plural of 'modor', 'broðor', 'sweostor', and 'dohtor' all decline the same way, but 'fæder' declines differently in the nominative and accusative plural. All these words are easy to recognise because they became the family words used in modern English, but watch out for the plural inflection -ra, in 'modora', 'broðora' etc, which today would be indicated with an -s suffix (mothers, brothers, daughters).

You can practice these minor declensions below.

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