Chapter XX

STRONG VERBS: CLASSES IV, V, VI, AND VII.

CONTRACT VERBS.

[The student can now complete the conjugation for himself (§ 103). Only the principal parts will be given.]

114. #Class IV: The "Bear" Conjugation.#

Vowel Succession: e, æ, æ:, o.

The present stem ends in l, r, or m, no consonant following:

l: hel-an, hæl, hæ:l-on, gehol-en, _to conceal_.
r: ber-an, bær, bæ:r-on, gebor-en, _to bear_.

The two following verbs are slightly irregular:

m: { nim-an, nôm (nam), nôm-on (nâm-on), genum-en, _to take_.
{ cum-an, c(w)ôm, c(w)ôm-on, gecum-en, _to come_.

115. #Class V: The "Give" Conjugation.#

Succession of Vowels: e (ie), æ, æ:, e.

The present stem ends in a single consonant, never a liquid or nasal:

met-an, mæt, mæ:ton, gemet-en, _to measure, mete_.
gief-an, geaf, gêaf-on, gegief-en, _to give_.

NOTE 1.--The palatal consonants, g, c, and sc, convert a following
e into ie, æ into ea, and æ: into êa. Hence #giefan# (< #*gefan#),
#geaf# (< #*gæf#), #gêafon# (< #*gæ:fon#), #gegiefen# (< #*gegefen#).
This change is known as Palatalization. See § 8.

NOTE 2.--The infinitives of the following important verbs are only
apparently exceptional:

biddan, bæd, bæ:d-on, gebed-en, _to ask for_ [bid].
licgan, læg, læ:g-on, geleg-en, _to lie, extend_.
sittan, sæt, sæ:t-on, geset-en, _to sit_.

The original e reappears in the participial stems. It was changed to i in the present stems on account of a former -jan in the infinitive (#bid-jan#, etc.). See § 61. To the same cause is due the doubling of consonants in the infinitive. All simple consonants in O.E., with the exception of r, were doubled after a short vowel, when an original j followed.

116. #Class VI: The "Shake" Conjugation.#

Succession of Vowels: a, ô, ô, a.

scac-an, scôc, scôc-on, gescac-en, _to shake_.
far-an, fôr, fôr-on, gefar-en, _to go_ [fare].

117. #Class VII: The "Fall" Conjugation.#

Vowel Succession: {â,æ:}, ê, ê, {â,æ:};
or {ea,êa,ô}, êo, êo, {ea,êa,ô}.

(1) hât-an, hêt, hêt-on, gehât-en, _to call, name,
command_.
læ:t-an, lêt, lêt-on, gelæ:t-en, _to let_.

(2) feall-an, fêoll, fêoll-on, gefeall-en, _to fall_.
heald-an, hêold, hêold-on, geheald-en, _to hold_.
hêaw-an, hêow, hêow-on, gehêaw-en, _to hew_.
grôw-an, grêow, grêow-on, gegrôw-en, _to grow_.

NOTE 1.--This class consists of the Reduplicating Verbs; that is,
those verbs that originally formed their preterits not by internal
vowel change (ablaut), but by prefixing to the present stem the
initial consonant + e (_cf._ Gk. #le-loipa# and Lat. _d[)e]-di_).
Contraction then took place between the syllabic prefix and the
root, the fusion resulting in ê or êo: #*he-hat# > #heht# > #hêt#.

NOTE 2.--A peculiar interest attaches to #hâtan#: the forms
#hâtte# and #hâtton# are the sole remains in O.E. of the original
Germanic passive. They are used both as presents and as preterits:
#hâtte# = _I am_ or _was called_, _he is_ or _was called_. No
other verb in O.E. could have a passive sense without calling in
the aid of the verb _to be_ (§ 141).

#Contract Verbs.#

118. The few Contract Verbs found in O.E. do not constitute a new class; they fall under Classes I, II, V, VI, and VII, already treated. The present stem ended originally in h. This was lost before -an of the infinitive, contraction and compensatory lengthening being the result. The following are the most important of these verbs:

Classes.

I. ðêon (< *ðîhan), ðâh, ðig-on, { geðig-en }, _to thrive_.
{ geðung-en }
II. têon (< *têohan), têah, tug-on, getog-en, _to draw, go_
[tug].
V. sêon (< *sehwan), seah, sâw-on, gesew-en, _to see_.
VI. slêan (< *slahan), slôh, slôg-on, geslæg-en, _to slay_.
VII. fôn (< *fôhan), fêng, fêng-on, gefong-en, _to seize_
[fang].

119. The Present Indicative of these verbs runs as follows (see rules of i-umlaut, § 58):

_Sing._ 1. Ic ðêo têo sêo slêa fô
2. ðû ðîhst tîehst siehst sliehst fêhst
3. hê ðîhð tîehð siehð sliehð fêhð

_Plur._ 1. wê }
2. gê } ðêoð têoð sêoð slêað fôð
3. hîe }

The other tenses and moods are regularly formed from the given stems.

120. VOCABULARY.

sêo æ:ht, _property, possession_ [#âgan#].
aweg, _away_ [#on weg#].
sêo fierd, _English army_ [#faran#].
sê here, _Danish army_ [#hergian#].
on gehwæðre hond, _on both sides_.
sige niman (= sige habban), _to win (the) victory_.
sêo spræ:c, _speech, language_.
tô rîce fôn, _to come to the throne_.[1]
ðæt wæl [Val-halla] } _slaughter, carnage_.
sê wælsliht, }
sê weall, _wall, rampart_.
ðæt wildor, _wild beast, reindeer_.
sê wîngeard, _vineyard_.

âbrecan,[2] âbræc, âbræ:con, âbrocen, _to break down_.
cweðan, cwæð, cwæ:don, gecweden, _to say_ [quoth].
gesêon, geseah, gesâwon, gesewen, _to see_.
grôwan, grêow, grêowon, gegrôwen, _to grow_.
ofslêan, ofslôh, ofslôgon, ofslægen, _to slay_.
sprecan, spræc, spræ:con, gesprecen, _to speak_.
stelan, stæl, stæ:lon, gestolen, _to steal_.
stondan, stôd, stôdon, gestonden, _to stand_.
weaxan, wêox, wêoxon, geweaxen, _to grow, increase_ [wax].

[Footnote 1: Literally, _to take to (the) kingdom_. _Cf._
"Have you anything to take to?" (_Two Gentlemen of Verona_,
IV, i, 42).]

[Footnote 2: #Brecan# belongs properly in Class V, but it has
been drawn into Class IV possibly through the influence of the r
in the root.]

121. EXERCISES.

I. 1. Æfter ðæ:m sôðlîce (indeed) ealle men spræ:con âne (one) spræ:ce. 2. Ond hê cwæð: "Ðis is ân folc, ond ealle hîe sprecað âne spræ:ce." 3. On sumum stôwum wîngeardas grôwað. 4. Hê hêt ðâ næ:dran ofslêan. 5. Ðâ Engle âbræ:con ðone longan weall, ond sige nômon. 6. Ond ðæt sæ:d grêow ond wêox. 7. Ic ne geseah ðone mon sê ðe ðæs cnapan adesan stæl. 8. Hê wæs swy:ðe spêdig man on ðæ:m æ:htum ðe hiera spêda on[3] bêoð, ðæt is, on wildrum. 9. Ond ðæ:r wearð (was) micel wælsliht on gehwæðre hond. 10. Ond æfter ðissum gefeohte côm Ælfred cyning mid his fierde, ond gefeaht wið ealne ðone here, ond sige nôm. 11. Ðêos burg hâtte[4] Æscesdûn (Ashdown). 12. Ðæ:re cwêne lîc læg on ðæ:m hûse. 13. Ond sê dæ:l ðe ðæ:r aweg côm wæs swy:ðe ly:tel. 14. Ond ðæs ðrêotîene dagas Æðered tô rîce fêng.

II. 1. The men stood in the ships and fought against the Danes. 2. Before the thanes came, the king rode away. 3. They said (#sæ:don#) that all the men spoke one language. 4. They bore the queen's body to Wilton. 5. Alfred gave many gifts to his army (dat. without #tô#) before he went away. 6. These men are called earls. 7. God sees all things. 8. The boy held the reindeer with (#mid#) his hands. 9. About six months afterwards, Alfred gained the victory, and came to the throne. 10. He said that there was very great slaughter on both sides.

[Footnote 3: See § 94, (5).]

[Footnote 4: See § 117, Note 2.]