re: adjectives

From: Jim West (jwest@Highland.Net)
Date: Tue Jun 09 1998 - 11:36:25 EDT

Thanks for the help. My main interest is historical. I am curious
specifically about how the masculine and feminine forms of the adjective
were compressed into one form. So I offer the following reconstruction and
ask for any clarification you all can offer:

1- in the earliest stages, certain adjectives used both masculine and
feminine forms. I.e., certain adjectives were used only of males and others
were used only of females.

2- at some point, adjectives which were only applied to males began to be
applied to females, and vice versa.

3- At some point this usage forced the case endings of the feminine form to
be abandoned in favor of the masculine form.

But why?

Thanks,

Jim

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
Adjunct Professor of Bible
Quartz Hill School of Theology

jwest@highland.net 

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