Preterite-present and anomalous

The preterite-present verbs had the following characteristics:Their Present-Tense forms resembledPast-Tense forms (Germ. “Präteritum” = past tense, that’s why they were called so); Some of these verbs did not have a full paradigm and were called “defective”; These verbs expressed attitude and were followed by the Infinitive without “to” (NB! Most of these verbs are present-day modal verbs); Out of 12 preterite-present verbs only 6 survived in ModE: āζ (ought), cunnan (can), dear (dare), sculan (shall), maζan (may), mōt (must).

ME The following changes happened to the preterite-present verbs:They lost their Verbals (non-finite forms) (e.g. OE cunnen – Part 2 of cunnan);They lost the Number and Mood distinctions (e.g. OE cann (Indicative) – cunne (Subjunctive); OE cann (Sg) – cunnon (Pl)).

NEThe paradigm of the preterite-present verbs (that had already become modal verbs) was reduced to one or two forms (e.g. must (just one form), can, could (just two forms), etc.).

Anomalous VerbsThey were irregular verbs that combined the features of the weak and strong verbs. There were 4 of them – willan (will), bēon (to be), ζān (to go), dōn (to do).

Willan:had the meaning of volition;resembled the preterite-present verbs in meaning (attitude) and in function (was followed by the Infinitive without “to”);eventually became a modal verb and also together with sculan developed into an auxiliary for the formation of the Future-Tense forms.

DōnThis verb combined the features of the weak and strong verbs:

ζanThis verb was suppletive and also combined the features of the weak and strong verbs:

BēonThis verb was highly suppletive and in OE employed two separate words/roots

23. Changes in the verb conjugation

Unlike the morphology of the noun and adjective, which has become much simpler in the course of history, the morphology of the verb displayed two distinct tendencies of development: it underwent considerable simplifying changes, analytical forms and new grammatical categories.

The decay of OE inflections, which transformed the nominal system, is also apparent in the conjugation of the verb though to a lesser extent. Many markers of the grammatical forms of the verb were reduced, levelled and lost in ME and Early NE; the reduction, levelling end loss of endings resulted in the increased neutralisation of formal oppositions and the growth of homonymy. ME forms of the verb are represented by numerous variants, which reflect dialectal differences and tendencies of potential changes. The intermixture of dialectal features in the speech of London and in the literary language of She Renaissance played an important role

Number distinctions were not only preserved in ME but even became 'more consistent and regular; towards the end of the period, however, — in the 15th c. — they were neutralized.

In the 13th 14th c the ending –en became the main, almost universal, marker of the pl forms of the verb. The ending en was frequently missed out in the late 14th c. and was dropped in the 15th; the Past tense stems of the strong verbs merged into one form. All number distinctions were thus lost with (he exception of the 2nd and 3rd p.. Pres.. tense Indie, mood.

The forms of person were used in ME, though they became more variable. The OE endings of the 3rd p sg –eр –p merged into a single ending –(e)th

The variant ending of the 3rd p; -es was a new marker first recorded in the Northern dialects. In Chaucer's works we still find the old ending -eth. Shakespeare uses both forms, but forms in -s begin to prevail. By the end of 18th c. -es was the dominant inflection of the 3rd p. sg in all forms of speech

The ending -(e)st of the 2nd p. sg became obsolete together with the pronoun thou. The replacement of thou by you/ye eliminated the distinction of person in the verb paradigm — with the exception of the 3rd p. of the Present tense.

Owing to the reduction of endings and leveling of forms the formal differences between the moods were also greatly obscured. In OE only a few forms of the Indicative and In ME the homonymy of the mood forms grew.

The distinction of tenses was preserved in the verb paradigm through all historical periods. As before, the Past tense Aspect voice

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Anomalous Verbs

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