In Mycenaean Words and Their Descendants you saw words. Greek, like Latin, changes the ending of a noun to show its job in the sentence: subject, owner, receiver and so on. These endings are the "cases". The spelling rules hide many endings, but some show through clearly, and they look older than Classical Greek.
Key idea
| Spelled | Said | Case | Meaning | Classical Greek |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| te-o | theos | nominative (subject) | god | θεός |
| te-o-jo | theoio | genitive (of) | of the god | θεοῦ (Homer still has θεοῖο) |
| di-wo | Diwos | genitive | of Zeus | Διός |
| di-we | Diwei | dative (to, for) | to Zeus | Διί |
| ti-ri-po-de | tripode | dual | two tripods | τρίποδε |
| di-pa-e | depae | dual | two cups | δέπαε |
Older than Classical
The genitive -oio (written -o-jo) became -ou in Classical Greek, but Homer still uses -oio, an echo of the older language that the tablets show in everyday use. The instrumental plural -phi (written -pi, since ph uses the p signs) had nearly disappeared by Classical times, though Homer keeps a few old phrases with it. The dual, for pairs, was still common in Mycenaean and faded later.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Which case?
- di-we is the dative, "to Zeus", for an offering.
- di-wo is the genitive, Diwos, "of Zeus".
Answer: di-wo
Worked example: Which case?
- te-o-jo ends in -o-jo.
- -o-jo is the old genitive ending -oio, "of".
Answer: te-o-jo, by its -o-jo ending