The English Language Part 65

_English._ | _Anglo-Saxon._ | _Present._ _Praeterite._ | _Present._ _Praeterite._ Wreak Wreaked. | Wrece Wr['ae]c.

Fret Fretted. | Frete Fr['ae]t.

Mete Meted. | Mete M['ae]t.

Shear Sheared. | Scere Scear.

Braid Braided. | Brede Br['ae]d.

Knead Kneaded. | Cnede Cn['ae]d.

Dread Dreaded. | Dr['ae]de Dred.

Sleep Slept. | Slape Slep.

Fold Folded. | Fealde Feold.

Wield Wielded. | Wealde Weold.

Wax Waxed. | Weaxe Weox.

Leap Leapt. | Hleape Hleop.

Sweep Swept. | Swape Sweop.

Weep Wept. | Wepe Weop.

Sow Sowed. | Sawe Seow.

Bake Baked. | Bace Bok.

Gnaw Gnawed. | Gnage Gnoh.

Laugh Laughed. | Hlihhe Hloh.

Wade Waded. | Wade Wod.

Lade Laded. | Hlade Hlod.

Grave Graved. | Grafe Grof.

Shave Shaved. | Scafe Scof.

Step Stepped. | Steppe Stop.

Wash Washed. | Wacse Wocs.

Bellow Bellowed. | Belge Bealh.

{333} Swallow Swallowed. | Swelge Swealh.

Mourn Mourned. | Murne Mearn.

Spurn Spurned. | Spurne Spearn.

Carve Carved. | Ceorfe Cearf.

Starve Starved. | Steorfe Staerf.

Thresh Threshed. | ersce aerse.

Hew Hewed. | Heawe Heow.

Flow Flowed. | Flowe Fleow.

Row Rowed. | Rowe Reow.

Creep Crept. | Creope Creap.

Dive Dived. | Deofe Deaf.

Shove Shoved. | Sceofe Sceaf.

Chew Chewed. | Ceowe Ceaw.

Brew Brewed. | Breowe Breaw.

Lock Locked. | Luce Leac.

Suck Sucked. | Suce Seac.

Reek Reeked. | Reoce Reac.

Smoke Smoked. | Smeoce Smeac.

Bow Bowed. | Beoge Beah.

Lie Lied. | Leoge Leah.

Gripe Griped. | Gripe Grap.

Span Spanned. | Spanne Spen.

Eke Eked. | Eace Eoc.

Fare Fared. | Fare For.

-- 386. The first of the general statements made concerning strong verbs, with a view of proving that the order is _natural_, shall be the one arising out of the preceding list of praeterites.

I. Many strong verbs become weak; whilst no weak verb ever becomes strong.

II. All the strong verbs are of Saxon origin. None are cla.s.sical.

III. The greater number of them are strong throughout the Gothic tongues.

IV. No new word is ever, upon its importation, inflected according to the strong conjugation. It is always weak. As early as A.D. 1085, the French word _adouber_=_to dubb_, was introduced into English. Its praeterite was _dubbade_.[56]

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V. All derived words are inflected weak. The intransitive forms _drink_ and _lie_, are strong; the transitive forms _drench_ and _lay_, are weak.

The fourth statement will again be recurred to. The present object is to show that the division into strong and weak is natural.

-- 387. _Obsolete forms._--Instead of _lept_, _slept_, _mowed_, _snowed_, &c., we find, in the provincial dialects and in the older writers, the strong forms _lep_, _step_, _mew_, _snew_, &c. This is no more than what we expect. Here there are two forms, and each form is of a different conjugation.

-- 388. _Double Forms._--In _lep_ and _mew_ we have two forms, of which one only is current. In _swoll_ and _swelled_, in _clomb_ and _climbed_, and in _hung_ and _hanged_, we have two forms, of which both are current. These latter are true double forms. Of double forms there are two kinds.

1. Those like _swoll_ and _swelled_; where there is the same tense, but a different conjugation.

2. Those like _spoke_ and _spake_; where the tense is the same and the conjugation the same, but where the form is different.

The bearings of these double forms (which, however, are points of general rather than of English grammar) are as follows. Their number in a given language may be very great, and the grammarian of a given language may call them, not double forms of the same tense, but different tenses. Let the number of words like _swoll_ and _swelled_ be multiplied by 1000. The chances are, that, in the present state of etymology, they would be called first praeterites and second praeterites. The bearing of this remark upon the so-called aorists and futures of the Greek language is evident. I think that a writer in the Cambridge Philological Museum[57] indicates the true nature of those tenses. They are the same tense in a different conjugation, and differ from _swoll_ and _swelled_ only in the frequency of their occurrence.

Difference of form, and difference of conjugation, may each simulate a difference of tense.

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CHAPTER XXVI.

DEFECTIVENESS AND IRREGULARITY.

-- 389. In -- 361 the distinction between irregularity and defectiveness was slightly foreshadowed. In pp. 243, 267, it was exhibited in its principles.

In the present chapter the difference is more urgently insisted on.

The words that have hitherto served as ill.u.s.trations are the personal p.r.o.nouns _I_ and _me_, and the adjectives _good_, _better_, and _best_. See the sections referred to above.

The view of these words was as follows: _viz._, that none of them were irregular, but that they were all defective. _Me_ wanted the nominative, _I_ the oblique cases. _Good_ was without a comparative, _better_ and _best_ had no positive degree.

Now _me_ and _better_ may be said to make good the defectiveness of _I_ and _good_; and _I_ and _good_ may be said to replace the forms wanting in _me_ and _better_. This gives us the principle of compensation. To introduce a new term, _I_ and _me_, _good_ and _better_, may be said to be complementary to each other.

What applies to nouns applies to verbs also. _Go_ and _went_ are not irregularities. _Go_ is (at least in the present stage of our language) defective in the past tense. _Went_ (at least in its current sense) is without a present. The two words, however, compensate their mutual deficiencies, and are to each other complementary.

The distinction between defectiveness and irregularity, is the first instrument of criticism for coming to true views concerning the proportion of the regular and irregular verbs.