names u often takes the place of ô; s. Wrede, 'Ostg.', 164.
Note 2. In a few words ô before vowels becums au; s. § 26.
Note 3. ô and u interchange in the inflection of fôn, gen. funins (§ 118). Concerning this and other relations between ô and u, cp. Beitr. 6, 377 et seq.; 564; also Kuhns Zs., 26, 16 et seq.
u
§ 13. The letter u in Gothic denotes both a short and a long vowel; the short u, however, occurs oftener than long û.
Note 1. u in foren words regularly represents Gr. ου. In unaccented syllabls, however, it stands for Gr. ο: diabulus, διάβολος (beside diabaúlus), apaústulus (beside apaústaúlus), paíntêkustê, πεντηκοστή.
Note 2. u for ô seldom (§ 12, n. 1), u for áu (§ 25, n. 3).
§ 14. Short u is very frequent in Gothic. E. g.
(a) juk, yoke; sunus, sun; drus, fall; us-drusts, a falling; fra-lusts, lost; lusnan, to perish; – in the prt. pl. and pp. of the verbs of the II. series (§ 31); e. g., gutum, gutans; lusum, lusans; – in endings of the sbs. of the u-decl.: handus, handu; – final, as in þu, prn., thou; nu, now; -u (interr. particl).
(b) wulfs, wolf; wulla, wool; gaqumþs, council; gulþ, gold; swumfsl, pond; hund, 100; sibun, 7; taíhun, 10; fulls, ful; un- (privativ prefix); in the prt. pl. and pp. of the verbs of the III. series (§ 32): bundum, bundans; in the pp. of the verbs of the IV. series (§ 33): numans, stulans.
brukans, broken; us-bruknan, to break off (intr.); trudan, to tred, pp. trudans; snutrs, wise.
Note 1. As a rule, the final u of stems is dropt before derivativ j-suffixes; e. g., -hardjan, to harden (< hardus); -agljan, to trubl (< aglus); manwjan, to prepare (< manwus); ufarassjan, to increase (< ufarassus); L. Meyer, 'Got. Spr.', p. 325 et seq. But skadwjan, to overshadow (< skadus), and skadweins, a shading (cp. Zs. fda. 36, 269). – Concerning u beside w, cp. § 42.
Note 2. Every u before h and r is broken to aú; cp. § 24.
Note 3. u is eight times (mostly in Lu.) represented by o; e. g., laúhmoni, lightning: Lu. XVII, 24; sunjos, suns; Lu. XVI, 8; ushôfon; Lu. XVII, 13; ainomêhun; Lu. VIII, 43; faího, muney; Mk. X, 23.
Note 4. In the endings of the u-declension u is occasionally represented by au; as, sunaus (nom. sg.); Lu. IV, 3; cp. § 105, n. 2.
§ 15. Long û certainly appears in: (a) ût, out (ûta, etc.); dûbô, duv; rûna, mystery; rûms, room, roomy; *mûl (in faúrmûljan, to muzl); brûþs, bride; hûs, house; skûra, shower; hlûtrs, pure; fûls, foul; *mûks (in mûkamôdei), meek; þûsundi, 1000; brûkjan, to uze (prt. brûhta; adj. brûks); lûkan, to lock (§ 173, n. 2); hrûkjan, to crow (s. Beitr., 6, 379); hnûþô, sting (Icel. hnúþa; s. Noreen, Nord. revy, April 1883).
(b) for nasalized u, the primitiv nasal being lost (cp. § 5, b; § 50, n. 1): þûhta (prt. of þugkjan, to think), þûhtus, thought (adj. þûhts); hûhrus, hunger; jûhiza (compar. to juggs), yunger; ûhtwô, daybreak; ûhteigs, ûhtiugs, seasonabl; bi-ûhts, accustomd (s. Brgm., I, 181).
Note 1. u is perhaps long in: þrûtsfill, leprosy (cp. ON. þrútinn, swoln; OE. þrûstfell; Beitr., 9, 254); anabûsns, commandment (Beitr., 9, 152 and 10, 497; Brgm., II, 287); lûns, ransom (Brgm., II, 285); sûts, sweet (OS. swôti, OE. swête; cp. however Kuhn's Zs., 26, 380); the suff. -dûþs (§ 103; cp. Beitr. 6, 380); jûs, ye (§ 150; Brgm., III, 374. 398). Sum write also fidûr- and -ûh (cp. § 24, n. 2).
Note 2. In Rûma, Rome, Rûmôneis, a Roman, û stands for the Lt. o.
Note 3. o for û occurs only in ôhteigô; II. Tim. IV, 2 (in codex B, for ûhteigô in A).
Note 4. For û becuming au before vowels, s. § 26, b.
ei
§ 16. Like Greek ει at the time of Wulfila, and in imitation of it, Gothic ei denotes long î.
Note 1. In Greek words ei uzually stands for ι, but also for ei, and sumtimes for η.
Note 2. Concerning ei for Goth. ê, s. § 7, n. 2.
Note 3. The difthongal pronunciation of ei suggested by J. Grimm is refuted also for linguistic reasons. Cp. J. Schmidt, 'Idg. Vocalismus', I, 485; Litbl. 1886, 485; Brgm., I, 57.
§ 17. ei in stem syllabls of Gothic words occurs especially in the prs. tense of the I. series (
