§§178-9] Declension of Nouns 85 will find it useful to master Chapter V before attempting to do so, because what has already been stated there will not, as a rule, be repeated in the chapters on the Accidence.
			A. THE VOCALIC OR STRONG DECLENSION. I. THE a-DECLENSION. § 178. The a-declension comprises masculine and neuter nouns only, and corresponds to the Latin and Greek o-declension (Gr. masc. -os, neut. -of, Lat. -us, -urn), for which reason it is sometimes called the o-declension. The a-declension is divided into pure a-stems, ja-stems, and wa-stems. a. Pure a-stems. § 179. Masculines. SING. Nom. dags, day hláifs, loaf, bread Ace, Voc. dag hláif Gen. đagís hláibis Dat. daga hláiba PLUR. Nom. dagos hláibōs Ace. dagans hláibans Gen. dagē hláibē Dat. dagam hláibam NOTE.—i. On the interchange of f (hláife, hláif) and b (hláibis, &c.), see § 161. a. On nom. forms like walr, man, freihals, freedom, gen. wains, freihalsis, see § 175. The prim. Germanic forms of dags were: Sing. nom. *đagaz, ace. *đagan, voc. *đag(e), gen. *đagesa (with pronominal ending, § 265), dat. *đagai, Indg. Mhoghōí (cp. Gr. θεώ, to a god), instr. *đagē, -ō; PI. nom. *đagōz, ace.