Lecture 7 changes in the nominal system in middle english and new english

2.2. New English

The process of the simplification of the system of noun declension that was manifested in Middle English continued at the beginning of the New English period.

2.2.1. Morphological classification

In Old English we could speak of many types of consonant and vowel declensions, the a-, -n, and root-stem being principal among them. In Middle English we observe only these three declensions: a-stem, n-stem, root-stem. In New English we do not find different declensions, as the overwhelming majority of nouns is declined in accordance with the original a-stem declension masculine, the endings of the plural form –es and the Possessive –s being traced to the endings of the original a-stem declension masculine, i.e.:
Old English Middle English
Nominative & Accusative Common Plural
Plural ending - as ending - es
Genitive Singular
ending - es Genitive Singular
ending -s
of the original n-stem and root-stem declensions we have in New English but isolated forms, generally referred to in modern grammar books as exceptions, or irregular noun forms.

2.2.2. Origin of modern irregular noun forms

All modern irregular noun forms can be subdivided into several groups according to their origin:

1. 
   nouns going back to the original a-stem declension, neuter gender, which had no ending in the nominative and accusative plural even in Old English, such as:
   

sheep – sheep (OE scēap – scēap)
deer – deer (OE dēor – dēor )

2. 
   some nouns of the n-stem declension preserving their plural form, such as:
   

ox – oxen (OE oxa – oxan)
c) the original s-stem declension word
child – children (OE cild – cildru)
In Middle English the final vowel was neutralized and the ending –n added on analogy with the nouns of the original n-stem declension. This shows that the power of the n-stem declension was at the time still relatively strong.
d) remnants of the original root-stem declension, such as: