Discussion of Homeric and archaic Greek nouns ending in -ας/-ος/-α, their gender (masculine/feminine/neuter) alternations, contraction/expansion of final alpha, dialectal and poetical variations with examples (e.g. φᾶρος, τάφος, πᾶρος) and citations of poets like Alcaeus, Ibycus, Aeschylus, Sophocles.
ἀνέρος, ὃν κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖς ἔπι γῆρας ἔτετμε (α 218) μεταπλασμοῦ ἔχεται ἐκ τῆς κτεάτοις δοτικῆς. —δέμας. καὶ τοῦτο μονῆρές ἐστι, οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰς 'μας' λῆγον οὐδέτερον «στήτην ἐγγὺς ἰόντε, δέμας δ´ ἄνδρεσσιν ἐΐκτην» (Φ 285). οὖας, κέρας, δέπας, πέρας, τέρας, βρέτας, λέπας, σκέπας, κνέφας, σέβας, γέρας, ψέφας, οὖδας, κῶας. Ἔτι τὰ εἰς 'ος' βαρύνεται, τεῖχος· ἔστι καὶ φρούριον Ἀχαΐας. βέλος, πέλαγος, ὄνειδος. φᾶρος, ὅπερ ἐστὶ σημειῶδες. τὰ εἰς 'ος' λήγοντα οὐδέτερα, εἰ ἔχοι πρὸ τέλους τὸ 'α', συνεσταλμένον πάντως αὐτὸ ἔχει, εἰ μὴ κατὰ διάλεκτον εἴη, ὥσπερ τὸ πᾶρος ἐπὶ γὰρ πᾶρος ὀνιαρὸν ἱκνεῖται Ἀλκαῖός φησι. τοιοῦτο δέ ἐστι καὶ τὸ μᾶκος, δᾶνος. τὸ δὲ πρᾶγος ἤδη καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα δοκεῖ ἔχειν μεταβολήν. ἔστω οὖν τῶν συστελλόντων τὸ 'α' παραδείγματα, πάθος, τάφος. ὅπερ καὶ ἀρσενικόν ἐστι ὣς οἵγ´ ἀμφίεπον τάφον Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο (Ω 804). καὶ θηλυκὸν ἐπὶ τῆς νήσου. ὁπότε δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκπλήξεως παραλαμβάνεται, γένος ἐπιδέχεται τὸ οὐδέτερον· ἣ δ´ ἄνεω δὴν ἧστο, τάφος δέ οἱ ἦτορ ἵκανε (ψ 93). ἀλλ´ ἴσως τοῦτο ἀμφίβολον. ὁ μέντοι Ἴβυκος διέστειλε τὸ γένος ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ, σχεδὸν τὸν Ὁμηρικὸν μεταλαβών· φησὶ γὰρ δαρὸν χρόνον ἧστο τάφει πεπηγώς. οὕτω γὰρ ἔκλινεν ὡς βέλει. Ἀναδράμωμεν δὴ ἐπὶ τὰ παραδείγματα, θάλος, δάος «δάος μετὰ χερσὶν ἔχουσα» (ψ 294), φάος, πάθος, μάθος. Ἀλκαῖος «ἀππατέρων μάθος», νάπος, γάνος, σάκος, δάκος, βάρος, χάος, κράτος, θράσος. σημειῶδες ἄρα τὸ φᾶρος ἐκτεινόμενον τὸ 'α'. φᾶρος μέν οἱ πρῶτον ἐϋπλυνὲς ἠδὲ χιτῶνα (π 173) οἱ μέντοι τραγικοὶ ἐπίσης ἐκτείνουσι τοῦ προκειμένου ὀνόματος τὸ 'α' καὶ συστέλλουσι, ὡς παρ´ Αἰσχύλῳ ἐν Σαλαμινίαις· εἴ μοι γένοιτο φᾶρος ἴσον ἐν οὐρανῷ. ἀλλὰ κατὰ συστολὴν παρὰ Σοφοκλεῖ ἐν Τηρεῖ σπεύδουσαν αὐτήν, ἐν δὲ ποικίλῳ φάρει καὶ ἐν Κρίσει σατυρικῇ καὶ δὴ φάρει τῷδ´ ὡς ἐμῷ καλύπτομαι. παραφυλακτέον ὅτι τὸ φάρος τυχὸν συστελλομένου τοῦ 'α' ἀναδέχεται πάλιν ἐν διαφόρῳ σημαινομένῳ τὰ τρία γένη ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ τάφος. ἔστι γὰρ ἀρσενικόν. οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Μενελάου ἐκαλεῖτο πρωρεύς. ἀλλὰ καὶ θηλυκὸν ἐπὶ τῆς νήσου ἀπ´ αὐτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα λαβούσης, ὥς φησιν Ἑκαταῖος.
ἀνέρος, ὃν κτεάτεσσιν ἑοῖς ἔπι γῆρας ἔτετμε (α 218) involves metaplasm from the dative κτεάτοις. —δέμας. This too is anomalous, for no neuter ending in -μας exists: “They stood, coming near, and in form they were like men” (Φ 285). οὖας, κέρας, δέπας, πέρας, τέρας, βρέτας, λέπας, σκέπας, κνέφας, σέβας, γέρας, ψέφας, οὖδας, κῶας. Further, neuters in -ος are barytone: τεῖχος; it is also a fortress of Achaea. βέλος, πέλαγος, ὄνειδος. φᾶρος, which is exceptional. Neuters ending in -ος, if they have α before the final syllable, always have it contracted, unless it is dialectal, as πᾶρος; for Alcaeus says “for upon πᾶρος a grievous thing comes.” Such too are μᾶκος, δᾶνος. But πρᾶγος already, and ῥῆμα, seem to have a change. Let, then, examples of those that contract α be πάθος, τάφος— which is also masculine, as “so they tended the tomb of horse-taming Hector” (Ω 804), and feminine of the island. But whenever it is taken in the sense of amazement, it admits the neuter gender: “and she sat long in silence, and amazement came upon her heart” (ψ 93). But perhaps this is ambiguous. Yet Ibycus distinguished the gender in the first passage, having almost adopted the Homeric usage; for he says “for a long time he sat, fixed fast in the tomb.” For thus he declined it like βέλει. Let us then return to the examples: θάλος, δάος—“holding δάος in her hands” (ψ 294)—φάος, πάθος, μάθος. Alcaeus: “the lesson of deceivers”; νάπος, γάνος, σάκος, δάκος, βάρος, χάος, κράτος, θράσος. Therefore φᾶρος is exceptional in lengthening α: “and first for him a well-washed φᾶρος and a tunic” (π 173). The tragedians, however, likewise both lengthen and contract the α of the word in question, as in Aeschylus’ Salaminiae: “if only there might come to me a φᾶρος equal in the sky.” But with contraction in Sophocles’ Tereus: “herself hastening, in a variegated φάρει”; and in the satyric Judgment: “and indeed with this φάρει, as with my own, I cover myself.” One must note that φάρος, with α perhaps contracted, again admits all three genders with a different meaning, just as τάφος does. For it is masculine: thus was Menelaus’ prow-man called. But it is also feminine of the island that took its name from it, as Hecataeus says.