About vocative case

[llama_nom]

Hi Fredrik!

NOUNS.  Vocative plural always = nominative.  Vocative singular = 
accusative in the following declensions: a-, ja-, wa-, i- & u-stems, 
nd-stems (and miscellaneous consonant stems?).  In all other 
declensions, vocative singular = nominative.

ADJECTIVES in the vocative have the same ending as the nominative, 
and are *almost* always declined weak.
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So, you'd call "skalk!" or "andbaht!".  Or for a female 
servant: "þiwi!"
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With the greeting 'hails' (attested twice), Gothic matches the Greek 
by using the vocative in Mark and the nominative in John.

hails, þiudan Iudaie! (Mk 15,18)
hails þiudans Iudaie! (J 19,3)

The version with nominative could be seen as a wish, short for * 
hails sijais "be thou hail", "be well".  Compare Old English: wes þú 
hál; hál westú; hál wes þú; wes hál; béo gesund; wes gesund; sý þú 
hál léof.  And Old High German: heil uuisthu.
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Incidentally, among the signiatures to the Gothic deeds of Naples 
and Arezzo, three names are used with what look like accusative (or 
vocative) forms, but with a nominative meaning, Ufitahari, Wiljariþ 
and Gudilub.  But definitely nominative Sunjaifriþas.  Merila is 
nominative, but, being an an-stem, it has the same form as the 
vocative would have.

Llama Nom





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