Classical Arithide grammar

The grammar of Classical Arithide differs from that of the modern tongue in several significant respects, most notably in that the classical language was inflecting to a significantly greater degree. These differences were occasionally brought about by sound shifts that eliminated extant distinctions between, for example, certain noun cases, but also in part by semantic drift.

Due to the existence of multiple inflections and complex rules governing the overlay of inflection over inflection, classical grammar is considered the most difficult of all, with 10 cases each of 8 possible declension classes just for nouns alone, and a plethora of different conjugations for every verb.

Nouns

Nouns in Classical Arithide were divided into 9 lexically-based declension classes, denoting 6 lexical categories. Each noun was declined in nine traditional cases, namely the nominative, topical, accusative, genitive, dative, locative, ablative, instrumental and vocative, as well as what is termed the "connective".

First declension: -os

The first declension (as well as the second), in general, denotes abstractions, e.g. bonos "form", or enos "state". All nouns in this declension end in -os and form their stems by removing the -os.

Second declension: -os

The second declension, like the first, denotes abstractions. The difference between the two lies in the etymology of their constituent words: while the first declension comprises basic words, i.e. words which are not derived from another part of speech, the second declension is made up of derivations, usually of verbs, such as sonos "daily life" (from sonei "to pass days"), segros "script" (from segrei "to write").

Third and fourth declensions: -as

The third and fourth declensions, which both denote locations and which both take -as as their ending, parallel the first and second. Examples from each declension include kitaras "hall" (third declension), and lydas "cafeteria" (fourth).

Fifth and sixth declensions: -ir and -rir

The fifth and sixth declensions are unique in that they are lexically subjective: the -ir ending denotes a morally unacceptable or abhorrent concept, such as vokir "crime", syndir "sin" and kirir "faux pas". The distinction between these two declension groups, unlike the previous two pairs, arises from the historical lenition of the ending from -ido to -ir, which complicated declension with nouns ending in -rir, and precipitated the development of a parallel sixth declension.

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