A Handbook of the English Language Part 39

-- 318. _Mind--mind and do so and so_.--In this sentence the word _mind_ is wholly different from the noun _mind_. The Anglo-Saxon forms are _geman_, _gemanst_, _gemunon_, without the -d; this letter occurring only in the praeterite tense (_gemunde_, _gemundon_), of which it is the sign. _Mind_ is, then, a praeterite form with a present sense; whilst _minded_ (as in _he minded his business_) is an instance of excess of inflection; in other words, it is a praeterite formed from a praeterite.

-- 319. _Yode_.--The obsolete praeterite of _go_, now replaced by _went_, the praeterite of _wend_. Regular, except that the initial g has become y.

-- 320. _Did_.--See -- 317.

_Did_, from _do_ = _facio_, is a _strong_ verb. This we infer from the form of its participle _done_.

If so the final -d is not the same as the -d in _moved_. What is it? There are good grounds for believing that in the word _did_ we have a single instance of the old _reduplicate praeterite_. If so, it is the latter d which is radical, and the former which is inflectional.

CHAPTER XXV.

ON CONJUGATION.

-- 321. Attention is directed to the following list of verbs. In the present English they all form the praeterite in -d or -t; in Anglo-Saxon, they all formed it by a change of the vowel. In other words they are _weak verbs that were once strong_.

_Praeterites._

_English._ _Anglo-Saxon._

_Present._ _Praeterite._ | _Present._ _Praeterite._ | Wreak Wreaked. | Wrece Wr?c.

Fret Fretted. | Frete Fr?t.

Mete Meted. | Mete M?t.

Shear Sheared. | Scere Scear.

Braid Braided. | Brede Br?d.

Knead Kneaded. | Cnede Cn?d.

Dread Dreaded. | Dr?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.

Swallow Swallowed. | Swelge Swealh.

Mourn Mourned. | Murne Mearn.

Spurn Spurned. | Spurne Spearn.

Carve Carved. | Ceorfe Cearf.

Starve Starved. | Steorfe Staerf.

Thresh Threshed. | ersce aersc.

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.

-- 322. Respecting the _strong_ verb, the following general statements may be made:

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

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

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

4. 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 dub_, was introduced into English. Its praeterite was _dubbade_.

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

This shows that the division of verbs into _weak_ and _strong_ is a truly natural one.

CHAPTER XXVI.

DEFECTIVENESS AND IRREGULARITY.

-- 323. The distinction between irregularity and defectiveness has been foreshadowed. It is now more urgently insisted on.

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

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.