Pronouns In Old English

2.

The characteristic features of
pronouns is not only their lexical
meaning but their use to that of a
noun and an adjective.

• 1. the presence of a dual number of pronouns of the 1st and the
2nd person
• 2. the absence of possessive pronouns. Instead of them there is a
form of Genitive case of the personal pronoun
• 3. the presence of a special group of the definite pronouns that
have already (almost) lost their main meaning of definite
pronoun, having formed in the definite article
• 4. the saving of Accusative case in the separate groups of
pronouns

4.

5.

Declension of personal pronouns
per case/
son number
singular
dual
plural
1st
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
ic
mīn
mē
mec, mē
wit
uncer
unc
uncit
wē
ūre, ūser
ūs
ūsic, ūs
2nd
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Þu
Þin
Þe
Þēc, Þē
ȝit
incer
inc
incit, inc
ȝē
ēowr
ēow
ēowic, ēow
singular
3rd
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
M
F
N
hē
his
him
hine
hēo,hīo
hire,hier
e
hire,
hiere
hie, hi,
hȳ
hit
his
him
hit
plural
all genders
hīe, hī, hȳ, hēo
hire, heora, hierra, hyra
him, heom
hīe, hī, hȳ, hēo

6.

The OE personal pronoun ‘heo’ was
replaced by ‘sho’ or ‘she’ from the OE
demonstrative ‘seo’ used in the northEast; the 3rd person plural ‘hie’ was
replaced by the Scandinavian ‘they’.

7.

singular
Declension of demonstrative pronouns
case
plural
M
F
N
Nom.
sē, se
seo
Þǣt
Þa
Gen.
Þǣs
Þǣre
Þǣs
ÞNegative pronounsra,
Dat.
Þǣm, Þām
Þǣre
Þǣm, Þām
Þǣra
Acc.
Þone
Þā
Þǣt
Þām, Þǣm
Instr.
Þy, Þon
Þǣre
Þy, Þon
Þā
Þǣm, Þām
Nom.
Þēs
Þēos
Þis
Þās
Gen.
Þises
Þisse
Þisses
Þissa
Dat.
Þisum
Þisse
Þisum
Þisum
Acc.
Þisne
Þās
Þis
Þās
Instr.
Þisse
Þīsse
Þisse
Þisum

Pronouns In Old English

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10.