r definite article) se, seo were changed into pe, peo on the analogy of the forms derived from the root p-. In Early ME forms like pe, peo, pat functioned both as demonstrative pronoun and as article. Since the 14th century, however, the form pat was only preserved as a demonstrative pronoun form., The declension system of the pronoun was undergoing changes. The form pos (from OE pas, nominative and accusative plural of the OE demonstrative pronoun pes) became the plural of pat.
Early ME declension.
However, in the 13th century declension of the definite article tends to disappear. Thus, while we find in Layamon's Brut (about 1200) phrases like to pan kinge (OE to pжm cyninze), mid pan flode (OE mid pжm flode), the Апогей Riwle has, alongside of of pen epple (OE of рагт жpple) mid te word (te assimilated from pe after mid; OE mid РЖТ worde). Similar changes occur in other case and gender forms. In Late ME the definite article finally becomes invariable.
The other demonstrative pronoun, OE pes, developed in the following way in ME: singular this (from the OE nominative and accusative singular pis), plural thise, these; singular that (from the OE nominative and accusative singular neuter pжt), plural tho, thos
The Adjective.declension of adjectives underwent substantial changes in ME. Declension of adjectives had always been determined by agreement with substantives in number, gender and case. In Germanic languages ??the use of strong and weak adjective declension depended on whether the adjective was preceded by the definite article or a similar word, or not. The disappearance of grammatical gender in ME substantives and the reduction of case endings led to a considerable change in adjective declension, too. Besides, the characteristic weak-declension ending-en was dropped. So the only case ending in adjectives came to be-e, and the highly developed OE paradigm was reduced to the following system:
In the Northern dialects, declension of adjectives was completely lost: the only surviving case ending-e was dropped, and the adjectives became invariable. the other dialects adjectives in-e became invariable, such as newe, trewe.
The indefinite article.
Numeralsfrom 1 to 3 are declined.from 4 to 19 are usually invariable, if used as attributes to a substantive, but they are declined if used without a substantive. Numerals denoting tens have their genitive in-es or in-a,-ra, their dative in-um.
The word «both» bezen, bu, ba is declined in the same way as twezen, tu, twa.consisting of tens and units are denoted in the following way: 22 twa and twentiz, 48 eahta and feowertiz.pronoun sum «some» is sometimes used in a meaning close to the articles as in the sentence: wses sum bropor «(there) was a (certain) brother» pa stod him sum топ set ??purh swefn «then (there) stood a (certain) man near him in his dream»., however, a substantive in an indefinite application is not accompanied by any determinative, as in the sentence he was swype spediz man «he was a very rich man». a few words the consonant v when followed by another consonant changed into u, as in hafoc, gen. sing, hafces> havkes> haukes and on the analogy of the genitive haukes a new nominative hauk was derived; na...
