ETYMOLOGY.
ARTICLES.—GENDERS.
150. The Dano-Norwegian language has a definite and an indefinite article. The definite article has two forms, one employed in connection with a noun alone, the other used with a noun qualified by an adjective or with an adjective alone. The former is called the post-positive article (also the definite article of the substantives). The latter is called the præ-positive article (also the definite article of the adjectives).
151. The Dano Norwegian language has two genders, common gender and neuter. The former comprises both the masculine and feminine of the old language.
Note. In colloquial Norwegian speech there is still sometimes made a distinction between the masculine and feminine genders. The cases where such distinction is made will be mentioned in their proper places.
152. The post-positive article is:
| common gender. | neuter. | plural. |
| -en (-n) | -et (-t) | -ne (-ene). |
| gen. -ens | -ets | -nes (-enes). |
Ex. : Hest-en the horse, Hus-et the house, Huse-ne the houses, Mængde-n the quantity, Værelse-t the room, Mœnd-ene the men. Thus it appears that the forms -n, -t are used in connection with nouns ending in -e and the form ene in connection with words forming their plural without an ending.
Note 1. This article was originally a demonstrative pronoun which in the old language has the form of hinn, hitt, hinir and by being used enclitically with nouns gradually lost its independent character and a part of its substance. This enclitic definite article is one of
