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In nouns, the accent remains on the same syllable as in the nominative singular, so nearly as the general rules of accent will permit.
Explanation: This rule differs from the rule of verb accent in that it does not of itself fix the accent of noun forms. The accent on the nominative singular (the form given in the vocabularies) must be learned by observation for every noun separately, just as the spelling of the word must be learned. So much is merely a part of the learning of the vocabularies. But when once the accent on the nominative singular has been given, the accent on the other forms of the noun is fixed by the rule.
Examples:
(1) If there be a noun λογος, neither the general rules of accent in §11 nor the rule of noun accent will determine whether the accent is λόγος or λογός. But once it has been determined that the accent is λόγος, then the accent on the other forms of the noun can be determined. The other forms, without the accent, are λογου, λογῳ, λογον, λογε, λογοι, λογων, λογοις, λογους. On every one of these forms the acute will stand on the penult, since (a) the rule of noun accent decrees that the accent remains there if the general rules of accent permit, and since (b) the general rules of accent never forbid the accent to be placed on a penult, and since (c) Rule 2 decrees that only an acute accent can stand on a short syllable.
(2) In the case of a noun οἶκος, its various forms being after the analogy of λόγος above, (a) and (b) of the considerations mentioned above with regard to λόγος still hold. But (c) does not hold, since here the penult is not short but long. In this case, Rules 3b and 4 will determine when the accent is acute and when it is circumflex; when the ultima is long, the accent (on the penult) will be acute, and when the ultima is short, the accent (on the penult) will be circumflex. Thus οἶκος, οἴκου, οἴκῳ, οἶκον, οἶκε, οἶκοι, οἴκων, οἴκοις, οἴκους.
(3) In the case of a noun ἄνθρωπος the accent is trying in every other form to get back to the antepenult, in accordance with the rule of noun accent, since it is the antepenult which is accented in the nominative singular. But where the ultima is long, the accent cannot get back to the antepenult, since that would violate Rule 3a. The nearest syllable to the antepenult which it can reach in these cases is the penult. The rule of noun accent decrees that that nearest syllable is the one upon which the accent must stand. But since the ultima is long in these cases, Rule 3b decrees that the accent (upon the penult) shall be an acute not a circumflex. Thus ἄνθρωπος, ἀνθρώπου, ἀνθρώπῳ, ἄνθρωπον, ἄνθρωπε, ἄνθρωποι, ἀνθρώπων, ἀνθρώποις, ἀνθρώπους.
(4) In the case of a noun ὁδός, the accent will stand in every form upon the ultima, since the general rules of accent never prevent the accent from standing on an ultima. If the ultima is short the accent must of course be acute. But if the ultima is long, the accent, so far as the general rules are concerned, can be either acute or circumflex. In these cases, therefore, the rules so far given will not determine which accent is to be used. Thus ὁδός, ὁδόν, ὁδέ, ὁδοί. But whether ὁδού, ὁδῴ, ὁδών, ὁδοίς, ὁδούς, or ὁδοῦ, ὁδῷ, ὁσῶν, ὁδοῖς, ὁδοῦς are correct must be left for future determination. The decision is part of the learning of the declension of this particular class of nouns.
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51. The genitive plural shows an exception to the rule of noun accent. The rule of noun accent would require the accent to remain on the same syllable as in the nominative singular. But nouns of the first declension have a circumflex on the ultima in the genitive plural no matter where the accent was in the nominative singular.