Neuter gender accent retention after loss of final -ς; pronoun and adjective gender endings; Attic article usage and final -ν.
Πᾶν οὐδέτερον κατὰ ἀποβολὴν τοῦ 'ς' γενόμενον ἀπὸ ἀρσενικοῦ τὸν αὐτὸν τόνον φυλάττει τῷ ἀρσενικῷ, μέγας μέγα, λειπόπατρις λειπόπατρι, ἄπολις ἄπολι, ὀξύς ὀξύ, ταχύς ταχύ, ἥμισυς ἥμισυ, Λίβυς Λίβυ, οὗτος τοῦτο, ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖνο, αὐτός αὐτό. αἱ γὰρ ἀντωνυμίαι εἰς 'ο' περατοῦνται κατὰ τὸ τρίτον πρόσωπον κατὰ γένος οὐδέτερον. οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι μετὰ τοῦ ἄρθρου φασὶ τὸ οὐδέτερον τῆς αὐτός ταὐτόν. ἀναλόγως· ἡ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἡ οὗτος ἀντωνυμίαι στεροῦνται ἄρθρου. ἵν´ οὖν διαστῇ γένος ἀρσενικὸν καὶ οὐδέτερον, εἰς τὸ 'ο' περατοῦνται κατὰ τὸ οὐδέτερον ἐκεῖνο, τοῦτο, ἵνα τὸ μὲν εἰς 'ο' σημαίνῃ τὸ οὐδέτερον, τὸ δὲ εἰς 'ν' τὸ ἀρσενικὸν ἐκεῖνον, τοῦτον. ἡ δὲ αὐτός ἄρθρον λαμβάνει. οὐκέτι ἄρα ὀφείλει ἔχειν τὸ οὐδέτερον εἰς 'ο' ὁμοίως τῇ χωρὶς ἄρθρου. ἔχει γὰρ διὰ τοῦ ἄρθρου σημαίνειν τὸ γένος. Ἀθηναῖοι τοίνυν τὸ ἄρθρον προσνέμοντες καὶ τὸ 'ν' διδοῦσι »ταὐτὸν θύμον φαγόντες« (Arist. Plut. 253). ταὐτὸ γὰρ ὤφειλεν εἶναι. ὅταν οὖν Ἀττικοὶ λέγουσι ταὐτόν, τὸ ὀφειλόμενον ἀποδιδόασιν, οὐ πλεονάζουσιν. οὐδὲ ἐνθάδε πλεονάζουσι· τοσοῦτον, τηλικοῦτον. οὐ γὰρ ἔγκειται ἡ οὗτος ἀντωνυμία. ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὸ τοσοῦτο καὶ τοιοῦτο πέπονθεν ἔνδειαν τοῦ 'ν'. ὡσαύτως καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλο, τοῦτο δὲ ἐπιλαμβάνει τὸ 'ν' ἐν τῷ ἀλλοπρόσαλλον καὶ ἐν τῷ ἔξαλλον καὶ ἄπαλλον. Πᾶν εἰς 'ον' ἐπιθετικὸν οὐδέτερον παρεσχηματισμένον τοῖς εἰς 'ος' λήγουσιν ἀρσενικοῖς τούτων φυλάττει τὸν τόνον, φιλόσοφος φιλόσοφον, ἀχρεῖος ἀχρεῖον Ἀττικῶς καὶ ἄχρειος ἄχρειον. Τὰ εἰς 'ους' λήγοντα τῶν ὀνομάτων ἔχοντα οὐδετέρου παρασχηματισμὸν ὁμοτονοῦν ἔχουσι τὸ οὐδέτερον, χρυσοῦς χρυσοῦν, χαλκοῦς χαλκοῦν, εὔνους εὔνουν. Τὰ εἰς 'ως' λήγοντα ἔχοντα οὐδετέρου παρασχηματισμὸν ὁμοτονοῦν ἔχουσι τὸ οὐδέτερον, ἀξιόχρεως ἀξιόχρεων, ἀνάπλεως ἀνάπλεων. Τὰ εἰς 'ας' ἔχοντα οὐδετέρου παρασχηματισμὸν ὁμοτονοῦν ἔχουσι
Every neuter formed from a masculine by dropping the -ς keeps the same accent as the masculine: μέγας μέγα, λειπόπατρις λειπόπατρι, ἄπολις ἄπολι, ὀξύς ὀξύ, ταχύς ταχύ, ἥμισυς ἥμισυ, Λίβυς Λίβυ, οὗτος τοῦτο, ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖνο, αὐτός αὐτό. For the pronouns in the third person, in the neuter gender, end in -ο. But the Athenians, with the article, say that the neuter of αὐτός is ταὐτόν—by analogy; for the pronouns ἐκεῖνος and οὗτος lack an article. In order, then, that the masculine and neuter genders may be distinguished, in the neuter they end in -ο, ἐκεῖνο, τοῦτο, so that the ending in -ο may indicate the neuter, and the ending in -ν the masculine, ἐκεῖνον, τοῦτον. But αὐτός takes an article. Therefore its neuter no longer needs to end in -ο in the same way as those without an article; for by means of the article it has a way to indicate the gender. The Athenians, then, assigning the article and also giving the -ν, say »ταὐτὸν θύμον φαγόντες« (Arist. Plut. 253). For it ought to be ταὐτό. Whenever, then, the Attic writers say ταὐτόν, they render what is due, and do not use a pleonasm. Nor do they use a pleonasm here either: τοσοῦτον, τηλικοῦτον; for the pronoun οὗτος is not involved. Rather, τοσοῦτο and τοιοῦτο have suffered a lack of -ν. Likewise also ἄλλος ἄλλο; but this takes -ν in ἀλλοπρόσαλλον and in ἔξαλλον and ἄπαλλον. Every adjectival neuter in -ον, formed from masculines ending in -ος, keeps the accent of these: φιλόσοφος φιλόσοφον, ἀχρεῖος ἀχρεῖον in Attic, and ἄχρειος ἄχρειον. Nouns ending in -ους that have a neuter formation have the neuter with the same accent: χρυσοῦς χρυσοῦν, χαλκοῦς χαλκοῦν, εὔνους εὔνουν. Those ending in -ως that have a neuter formation have the neuter with the same accent: ἀξιόχρεως ἀξιόχρεων, ἀνάπλεως ἀνάπλεων. Those in -ας that have a neuter formation have the neuter with the same accent.