§ 74. Finally and before the s of the nominativ d remains only after a consonant; e. g., hund, nimand (3d pers. pl. prs.), gards, alds, gazds, gahugds. But postvocalic d becuming final (and before the s of the nominativ) is changed into þ, because þ denotes the hard sound corresponding to d. Such eufonic þs from medial ds constitute the greater number of the Gothic final þs, the smaller number ar original (also medial) þs. (§ 71, n. 2). E. g.
staþs, stadis, place (but *staþs, staþis, shore); haubiþ, haubidis, hed; liuhaþ, liuhadis, light; frôþs, frôdis, wise; gôþs, gôdis, good; báuþ, prt. of biudan; bidjan, to pray, prt. baþ; – all pps. of wvs.; as, nasiþs, nasidis; salbôþs, salbôdis; furthermore all final þs in verbal inflection (3d pers. sg., 2nd pl.); as, nimiþ, nêmuþ, nêmeiþ, – but with enclitic -uh: nimiduh, nêmuduh, nêmeiduh; – advs. like ƕaþ, whither (cp. § 213); prep. miþ, with.
Note 1. The change of final d into þ does not occur in all cases in our manuscripts. This exception does not concern the original text of Wulfila, but is only a deviation from the normal state of orthografy, which is proved by the fact that final d occurs exceedingly often only in Lu., especially in the first ten chapters, not quite rarely also in Jo., more rarely in the other books. Exampls from the sixth chapter of Lu. ar: samalaud (34), gôds (35. 43), gôd (43), mitads (38), ptc. gamanwids (40), gasulid, and especially frequently verbal forms: taujid (2), ussuggwud (3), faginôd, laikid (23), habaid (24), usbaírid (45), etc. – Sinse yunger forms of speech ar a characteristic feature of the gospel of Lu. (§ 221, 1), they might be regarded as representativs of a later development of the Goth. language, introduced into our text by sum writers (for similar cases in East-Gothic names, s. Wrede, 'Ostg.', 171). Others explain the forms with final d as being due to their original position before words beginning with a vowel according to which the forms nimiþ and nimid would be 'dublets' ('satzdubletten'). – Cp. also Kock, Zs. fda., 26, 226 et seq., who shows that these ds for þs ar most frequent after unaccented vowels (as in mitads), but after an accented vowel only when the latter is long or a difthong, rarely after a short accented vowel (as in mid; Lu. VII, 11.)
Note 2. Sinse the final þ has by all means to be regarded as the regular one, it must also be employd in words of which only forms with medial d occur: biuþs, biudis, table; rauþs, red; usdauþs, zelous; gamaiþs, maimd; môþs, anger; knôþs, stock, race. Hense also garaiþs, redy; unlêds, poor, which, beside the forms with medial b, hav onse each the final forms garaid and unlêds, respectivly. But both forms occur in Lu.
With final d only ar repeatedly found: weitwôds, witness, acc. weitwôd; twice gariuds (gariud), honorabl; only one final form with d (but none with þ) occurs in braids, broad; dêds, deed; wôds, mad, possest; grids, step, grade; skaískaid (prt. of skaidan). The normal forms would be dêþs, wôþs, etc., for the forms with d insted of þ ar hardly due to anything else but unfavorabl transmission.
Note 3. The occurrence of this final þ for thematic d must not be confounded with that of þ in words that hav also medial þ beside d in other words from the same root; as, frôd- (nom. frôþs), prudent; frôdei, prudence; but fraþi, understanding, fraþjan, to understand; sad- (nom. saþs), satisfied, but ga-sôþjan, to satisfy; sinþs, a going, way, but sandjan, to send; alds, age, but alþeis, old. Cp. § 79, n. 2.
Note 4. þ is seldom found where medial d is expected; as, guþa (for guda); Gal. IV, 8; unfrôþans; Gal. III, 3.
§ 75. The d of the weak preterit, which stands mostly after vowels (nasida, habaida), remains intact after l and n (skulda, munda), while after s, h, f it becums t: kaupasta, môsta, daúrsta, þâhta, brâhta, þûhta, brûhta, waúrhta, baúhta, ôhta, mahta, áihta, þaúrfta; it is changed into þ in kunþa; ss is assimilated from st in wissa.
Conform to this rule ar the respectiv ptcs. nasiþs, habaiþs, skulds, munds, but waúrhts, baúhts, mahts, binaúhts, þaúrfts, kunþs. Cp. § 187, n. 1; § 197 et seq.; §§ 208. 209.
Note. d becums s before the t of the 2nd pers. prt. (§ 81): baust (1st bauþ, inf. biudan); so, also, before consonants in derivativ words; as, gilstr, tax, tribute (< gildan); usbeisns, expectation (< usbeidan, to abide, expect).
§ 76. s is a hard (voiceless) dental spirant and corresponds to Gr. σ. s occurs very often in Gothic words, especially initially. E. g.
(a) initially: sunus, sun; sitan, to sit; skadus, shade; speiwan, to spit; standan, to stand; straujan, to strew; slêpan, to sleep; smals, small; snutrs, wise; swaíhra, father-in-law.
(b) medially: kiusan, to choose; wisan, to be; wasjan,