The o-stem genitive singular: Considerations from the perspective of the Latin dialects

Abstract

This article looks at the issue of the o-stem genitive singular, starting from the data of the Latin dialects, within a framework which takes into account comparative data as well as more general reflections on the genitive. In particular, I intend to show that Satrican -osio, Ardeatine -oio and Roman -oeo, like other endings attested in other IE languages, are formations attributable to two abstract matrices: *-o/es- ± -jo and *-o/e-(i)- ± -so/jo. Subsequently, I will put forward some considerations on the original semantic and/or syntactic distinction between these endings and -ī < *-j(e/o)H2.

Keywords

• Genitive
• Morphology
• Comparative approach
• Latin dialects
• Evolution