Chapter 17 Verb Classes

 17.1. OE verbs fall into two large classes and two smaller ones:

  1. Strong verbs fom their Principal Parts by varying the base vowel or diphthong (by Ablut or Gradation -- see Chs. 19--22).
  2. Weak verbs form the Past Tense and Past Participle by addition of a morpheme containing /d/ or /t/.
  3. Anomalous verbs (see Ch. 7).
  4. Preterit-Present verbs (see Ch. 23).

17.2. The Principal Parts of any verb are those basic forms upon which the entire conjugation may be constructed. They are not the same for all verbs; differences will be noted as each class is introduced.

The Principal Parts of a Weak Verb are:

  1. The Infinitive: from this all Present Tense forms may be derived.
  2. The Past Tense Singular: from this all Past Tense forms may be derived.
  3. The Past Participle: this is used with auxiliaries to form phrasal verb constructions.1

Classification of Weak Verbs

17.3. Weak Verbs are of three classes: (I) the ja-class, (II) the ō-class, (III) the ai-class.

Most Weak verbs are derivative -- that is, they are formed from nouns, adjectives, or other verbs. For example:

From nouns:dōm, judgement,+-jan˃ *dōmian˃dēman, to judge
tāc(e)n, token,+-ōjan˃ *tācnōjan˃tācnian, to betoken
From adjs.:cūð, known,+-jan˃ *cūðian˃cȳðan, to make known
hāl, whole,+-jan˃ *hālian˃hǣlan, to heal
From verbs:*sat(Past Sing. of sittan, to sit)+-jan˃ *sattian ˃ *sættian˃settan, to set
dranc(Past Sing. of drincan, to drink)+-jan˃ *drancian˃drencan, to drench.

Conjugation of Class I Weak Verbs

17.4. Examples: fremman, to perform; herian, to praise; dēman, to judge.

PRESENTIndicative
Sing.1.fremmeheriedēme
2.fremestherestdēme(e)st
3.fremeðhereðdēme(e)ð
Plur.1-3.fremmaðheriaðdēmað
Subjunctive
Sing.1-3.fremmeheriedēme
Plur.1-3.fremmenheriendēmen
Imperative
Sing.2.fremeheredēm
Plur.2.fremmaðheriaðdēmað
infinitivefremmanheriandēman
Infl. Infin.tō fremmannetō heriannetō dēmanne
Pres. Ppl.fremmendeheriendedēmende
PRETERITIndicative
Sing.1.fremedeherededēmde
2.~ est~ est~ est
3.~ e~ e~ e
Plur.1-3.~ on~ on~ on
Subjunctive___
Sing.1-3.fremedeherededēmde
Plur.1-3.~ en~ en~ en
Past Ppl.fremedhereddēmed

Exercise. Review the sound changes of Chaps. 5.2. (Gemination); 11.1, 2 (i-Umlaut); 13.3, Note 2, and Footnote 3 (Syncope). Then answer the following questions:

  1. Why do some forms of fremman have -mm- while others have -m-?
  2. Why does not the same variation hold for herian and dēman?
  3. Why does the parenthetic -e- in dēm(e)st soetimes disappear?
  4. Of these three verbs only herian has -i- in the Present forms. Whence comes this -i- and why is it lacking in the other two verbs?

Verbs Without the Middle Vowel

17.5. Certain verbs form the Preterit and Past Participle without the middle vowel e(˂i). These verbs therefore have two special features: 1) the absence of i-Umlaut in the Preterit and Past Participle; 2) the change (which took place in Gmc) of original c before d, or g before d, ˃ ht.

Examples: cweccan, to shake, ˂ *cwæcjan, Pret. cweahte ˂ *cwæhte. sēcan, to seek, ˂ *sōcian, Pret. sōhte. ðyncan, to seem, Pret. ðūhte ˂ *ðunhte.

Some verbs of this group are:
sellan, give, sellsealdeseald
rǣcan, reachrǣhterǣht
ðencan, thinkðōhteðōht
bycgan, buybohteboht
Translation: Jonah(concluded)

God þā gegearcode ānne hwæl, and hē forswealh þone wītegan, and ābær hine tō ðām lande þe hē tō sceolde, and hine ðǣr ūt āspāw. Ðā cōm eft Godes word tō ðām wītegan, and cwæð: "Ārīs nū, and gā tō ðǣre micelan byrig Niniuen, and boda swā swā ic ðē ǣr sǣde." Hē fērde, and bodode, þæt him wæs Godes grama onsīgende, gif hī tō Gode būgan noldon. Ðā ārās se cyning of his cynesetle, and āwearp his dēorwyrðe rēaf, and dide hǣran tō his līce, and ascan uppan his hēafod, and bēad ðæt ǣlc man swā dōn sceolde; and ǣgðer ge men ge þā sūcendan cild and ēac ðā nȳtenu ne onbyrigdon nānes ðinges binnan ðrim dagum. Ðā ðurh þā gecyrrednisse, þæt hī yfeles geswicon, and ðurh þæt strange fæsten, him gemiltsode God, and nolde hī fordōn, swā swā hē ǣr þā twā burhwara Sodomam and Gomorram, for heora leahtrum, mid heofonlicum fȳre forbærnde.

VOCABULARY
  1. āberan, to bear, carry
  2. asce, ash, dust
  3. āspīwan, to spew up
  4. binnan (be + innan), within
  5. būgan, to bow
  6. burhwaru, city
  7. cynesetl, throne
  8. dōn...tō, to put on
  9. fæsten, fasting
  10. gecyrrednis, conversion
  11. gegearcian, to prepare

  12. gemiltsian, to have mercy upon
  13. geswīcan, to cease from
  14. grama, wrath
  15. hǣre, hair shirt, sackcloth
  16. hwæl, whale, great fish
  17. leahtor, sin, vice
  18. onbyr(i)gan, to taste
  19. onsīgan, to come upon
  20. rēaf, garment
  21. sūcan, to suck, suckle
FOOTNOTES

1In MnE, Principal Parts 2) and 3) have fallen together into one, always the same: OE dēman, dēmde, dēmed; MnE deem, deemed.

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