History of the English language. Subtheme 1: the evolution of the verb

Year III/2014-2015

Seminar №5 (1 hour):

SUBTHEME 1: The Evolution of the Verb

QUESTIONS:

1. The evolution of the grammatical categories of the English verbs.
2. The development of strong verbs.
3. The development of weak verbs.
4. The evolution of the conjugation of the verb.
5. Preterite-present and superlative verbs.
6. The development of analytical tenses.

7. What traces of palatal mutation can be found in weak verbs? Speak on the classification if weak verbs.

WRITTEN TASK:

1. Prepare tables of strong, weak, preterite-present, superlative verbs and of the conjugation of the verb.

2. Classify the following Mod. E verbs into the descendants of the strong verbs and the weak verbs: sing, live, rise, look, answer, speak, run, shake, warn.

3. Make a list of verb inflections in Mod. E and trace their origin (show their grammatical and dialectal sources).

CASE STUDY

The gerund appeared in the language as a result of mutual influence of the first participle and the verbal noun in –ing. The first participle borrowed from the verbal noun its suffix (e.g.: huntende > hunting, and the two forms became identical (hunting - gerund; hunting - participle). Such likeness had a reverse effect: the participle began to influence the development of the verbal noun. Under this influence the verbal noun gradually acquired some properties of a verb and turned into a new non-finite form: the gerund. In ME it began to take a direct object and adverbial modifiers.

In NE the gerund developed the analytical forms of the perfect and passive.