Summary of "The History of English Podcast"

Episode 56: The Weak vs The Strong
Host: Kevin Stroud
Release Date: January 15, 2015
Description: Exploring the evolution of strong and weak verbs in English and their impact on modern usage.

Introduction

In Episode 56 of The History of English Podcast, host Kevin Stroud delves into the intricate world of Old English grammar, focusing on the traditional distinction between strong and weak verbs. This episode, titled "The Weak vs The Strong," seeks to unravel why modern English exhibits such variability in past tense forms, leading to differences like "dived" vs. "dove" and "hanged" vs. "hung."

Understanding Strong and Weak Verbs

Kevin begins by defining the two categories:

• Strong Verbs: These verbs change their internal vowels to indicate past tense without relying on external endings. Examples include "sing, sang, sung" and "freeze, froze, frozen."

  "They don't have to rely on that ed ending." [02:45]

• Weak Verbs: These verbs form their past tense by adding a "d" or "t" sound, typically represented as "-ed." Most contemporary English verbs fall into this category, such as "jump, jumped" and "sleep, slept."

  "Today we usually indicate past tense by adding a D sound or a T sound to the end of the verb." [02:30]

Historical Evolution of Verbs in English

Kevin traces the origin of these verb forms back to the Proto-Indo-European period, where all verbs were inherently strong, relying on internal vowel changes. As the language evolved into Proto-Germanic, a significant shift occurred:

• Introduction of Dental Suffixes: Germanic speakers began adding "d" or "t" sounds to verbs to denote past tense, leading to the emergence of weak verbs.

  "The Germanic speakers started to put those sounds on the end of the verbs to indicate that something happened in the past." [04:50]

He credits Jacob Grimm for formalizing the terms "strong" and "weak" verbs, a distinction that remains essential in linguistic studies today.

Decline of Strong Verbs in Old English

During the Old English period, approximately 300 strong verbs existed, significantly more than the modern count. These verbs were divided into seven classes, each with predictable conjugation patterns. However, post-Norman Conquest, English underwent substantial changes:

• Attrition of Strong Verbs: About half of these strong verbs disappeared entirely.

  "Of the 300 or so strong verbs in Old English, about half of them completely disappeared from the language." [09:25]

• Conversion to Weak Verbs: The remaining verbs often transitioned to weak forms for simplicity and regularity. Examples include "climb" (from climban) and "melt" (from melta).

Linguistic Confusion and Multiple Past Forms

As the strong verb system declined, English speakers faced the challenge of selecting appropriate past tense forms from a dwindling set of strong verbs. This period saw increased randomness in verb forms:

• Example - "Sing":
  Old English had multiple forms like sunga and sungan, which eventually settled into the uniform "sang" and "sung" we use today.

  "But in Old English, there were different forms for each person." [15:40]

• Example - "Shrink":
  While traditionally "shrank" is the past tense, popular culture (e.g., the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) introduced "shrunk" as a simple past form.

  "Shrunk is traditionally reserved for the past participle... but today it can sometimes be found beside shrank as a simple past tense form." [18:35]

These shifts highlight the organic and often inconsistent evolution of English verbs.

Norse Influence on English Verb Forms

The Viking invasions brought Old Norse into close contact with Old English, significantly impacting verb forms:

• Retention of Strong Norse Verbs: English retained the strong forms from Norse, leading to verbs like "give, gave, given" and "take, took, taken."

  "English retained the strong verb form, which was used in both languages." [28:50]

• Introduction of New Weak Verbs: Many Norse verbs entered English as weak verbs, especially those without direct Old English equivalents, such as "lift, lifted" and "clap, clapped."

Case Studies: Hang, Lie, Set, and Others

Kevin examines specific verbs to illustrate the ongoing confusion between strong and weak forms:

"Hang"

• Two Past Forms: "Hanged" (used for executions) and "hung" (used for objects).

  "A person is hanged, but a thing or an object is hung." [40:10]

• Historical Usage: Originally, different forms existed based on transitivity, but modern English has codified their usage based on context.

  "English developed this completely arbitrary rule which says that we use one form for a person and the other form for everything else." [42:20]

"Lie" vs. "Lay"

• Transitive vs. Intransitive: "Lay" is transitive (requires an object), while "lie" is intransitive (does not require an object).

  "If you can remember that distinction, you'll never confuse lie and lay and set and sit and raise, rise and raise." [38:00]

Other Verbs:

• "Sneak": Both "sneaked" and "snuck" are acceptable, with regional preferences influencing usage.

  "Today, both sneaked and snuck are used. So it's become somewhat of a hybrid." [31:40]

• "Drag": Typically "dragged," but some dialects use "drug."

  "Sometimes people say, 'you look like something the cat drug in.' So this is another example..." [34:50]

Modern Variations and Regional Differences

The episode highlights how regional dialects have preserved or altered past tense forms:

• British vs. American English:

  • "Dive: British English prefers "dived," whereas American English often uses "dove."

    "In the UK tends to use dived, and the US tends to use dove." [28:10]

• Legal Terminology:

  • *"Hanged" is preferred in legal contexts, maintaining its historical usage.

    "Whenever you refer to a person being found guilty of a capital crime, they hanged, not hung." [43:30]

These distinctions underscore the lingering complexity stemming from historical evolutions.

Conclusion

Kevin Stroud concludes that the confusion surrounding strong and weak verbs is a direct result of centuries of linguistic evolution, external influences, and natural tendencies toward simplification. Despite the general trend toward regularizing past tense forms, strong verbs persist, adding layers of complexity to modern English.

"But this issue isn't new... It's actually been lingering in English for many centuries, and it's sometimes created multiple past tense forms which we still have to choose from." [50:20]

Looking Ahead

In the next episode, Kevin plans to explore the period following the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the late 10th century. This era, marked by peace and prosperity, saw a monumental monastic revival that greatly influenced English literature and introduced new Latin borrowings into the language.

"Next time, we'll explore what happened to the English language after the unification of England in the late 10th century." [52:15]

Notable Quotes

• "It's ultimately the reason why some English speakers say dived and other speakers say dove." [00:40]
• "The answer lies in the history of the language." [01:05]
• "But those older T endings are still prominently found as adjectives." [10:20]
• "English speakers didn't know if a verb was historically strong or weak." [24:30]
• "If words like raise and rise and lay and lie remained similar but distinct words, why did Old English hon and hongian collapse into a single word, hang?" [45:00]

This episode provides a comprehensive examination of the historical forces shaping English verbs, showcasing the delicate balance between tradition and evolution that defines the language today.