Morphological Classification

The verbs are divided in two: Strong verbs (7 classes), weak verbs (3 classes) and other verbs (suppletive, irregular, preterite-present verbs)

Strong verbs

The vowel interchange or ablaut which was the principal grammatical means in the conjugation of the OE strong verbs was of two kinds: qualitative and quantitative. The 1-5 classes are mainly based on the qualitative ablaut, the 6^th class – on the quantitative ablaut, 7^th class – formed their principal forms by means of the so-called reduplication of the root syllable, but in the course of the development of the language that means was obliterated. The OE qualitative ablaut is akin to the Common Germanic and even Indo-European ablaut.

Weak verbs

The OE weak verbs are relatively younger than the strong verbs. They reflected a later stage in the development of Germanic lang. They were an open class in OE as new verbs that entered the language generally formed their forms on analogy with the weak verbs. Whereas the strong verbs used vowel-interchange as a means of differentiation among principal verb stems, the weak verbs used for that purpose suffixation, namely, suffixes –t, or –d. for example: cepan – cepte – cept The strong verbs were “root-stem” verbs, they did not have any stem-forming suffix following the root, but they added their grammatical endings to the root directly. The weak verbs, however, had a stem-forming suffix that followed the root and preceded the grammatical ending. In accordance with the character of the stem-suffix the weak verbs are subdivided into three classes. Class I – the stem suffix –i (the class includes many verbs formed from other nouns, adjectives or verbs). All of them have a front root vowel – the result of palatal mutation due to the –i element of the stem-suf). Class II – the stem suf – oi (the o-element of the suffix is preserved in the past tense and in the Past Participle).

Irregular verbs

The weak verbs of the rd class are considered to be irregular, because the class consists of only three verbs, following their own individual patterns of form building. Among the 1^st class there were also some irregular verbs. This irregularity was inherent, but it was manifested in pre-historic times in OE differently.

Tellan (to tell) sellan (to sell)

The sign of irregularity of the weak verbs in OE was vowel interchange, a feature not typical of this group of verbs. The cause of it was the original absence of the stem-forming suffix –i in Past Singular and past participle. Under the influence of –i only the form of the Infinitive could change during the process of palatal mutation. (talian – tellan) the other two remaining unchanged, and as a result the verb acquired vowel interchange.

Preterite-present

There was a group of some strong verbs which in the pre-written period lost some of their forms and preserved the others, changing their lexical and grammatical meaning. These verbs are called preterite-prsent, for in the written period they build their present tense forms from the original past ones. The new past tense forms of these verbs in OE are built with the help of dental suffixation. The majority of preterite-present verbs are defective verbs, which lost their connection with the other forms and were dropped. The group of OE preterite-present verbs includes, among others, the following:

1. azan -

2. cunnan

3. sculan

4. mazan

Suppletive verbs

Among such verbs we may mention the following:

beon – wesan (be)

zan – eode (go)

don – dyde (do)

 

Rise of the Article System in ME.

The first elements of the category of the article appeared already in OE, when the meaning of the demonstrative pronoun was weakened, and it approached the status of an article in such phrases as: se mann (the man), seo sae (the sea).

However, we may not peak of any category if it is not represented by an opposition of at least two units. Such opposition arose only in Middle Engl, when the indefinite article an appeared. The form of the definite article can be traced back to the OE demonstrative pronoun se, which in the course of history came to be used on analogy with the forms of the same pronoun having the initial consonant [O] and began to be used with all nouns, irrespective of their gender or number.

The indefinite article developed from the OE numeral an. In ME an split into two words: the indefinite pronoun an, losing a separate stress and undergoing reduction of its vowel, and the numeral one, remaining stressed as any other notional word. Later the indefinite pronoun an grew into the indefinite article, and together with the definite article formed a new grammatical category – the category of determination, or the category of article.

 

The OE Consonant System

The OE consonant system consisted of some 14 consonant phonemes. The consonant system in OE manifested the following peculiarities.

1. The relatively small number of consonant phonemes.
2. The absence of affricated and fricative consonants which we now find in the language such as [t ], [d ], [ ], [ ].
3. Dependence of the quality of the phoneme upon its environment in the word

If the first two require no particular explanation, the last point calls for a special comment.

Among the 14 consonant phonemes that exited in OE there were at least 5 that gave us positional variants which stand rater wide apart.

1. The phonemes denoted by the letters f, p,, or s are voiced or voiceless depending upon their phonetic position. They are generally voiced in the so-called “intervocal position” that is between vowels and voiceless otherwise.

2. The phoneme denoted by the letter c also gave at least two variant – palatal [k] and velar [k]. In the majority of cases it was a velar consonant and palatal generally before the vowel i.

3. Similar remarks can be made about the phoneme denoted by the letter: we have the voiced velar plosive variant [g] of it at the beginning of the word before back vowels or consonants or in the middle of the word after n. The voiced velar fricative variant [ ] in the middle of the word between back vowels. The voice palatal fricative variant [j] before and after front vowels.

The system of consonant phonemes that we observe in OE involves certain peculiarities that are typical of the majority of Germanic dialects, which set them apart from the majority of the Indo-European languages.

 

Changes within the Adjective System in ME

Only two grammatical phenomena that were reflected in the adjectival paradigm in OE and preserved in Middle English: declension and the category of number. The difference between the Indefinite and Definite declension is shown by the zero ending for the former and the ending –e for the latter, but only in the Singular. The forms of the Definite and the Indefinite declension in the Plural have similar endings.

The difference between number forms is manifest only in the Indefinite declension, where there is no ending in the Singular but the ending –e in the Plural.

All grammatical categories and declensions in Middle and New English disappeared,. Contrary to that degrees of comparison of the adjective were not only preserved but also developed in Middle and New Engl. It should be note that out of the three principal means of forming degrees of comparison that existed in OE: suffixation, vowel interchange, and supplative forms, there remained as a productive means only one: suffixation, the rest of the means seen only in isolated forms. At the same time there was formed and developed a new means – analytical.

 

The adjective has lost its case-system altogether. There remain only a few traces of the number distinction and the distinction between the strong and weak declension. The comparative and the superlative degrees are formed with the suffixes –er, -est respectively. The mutated forms still occur, but the vowel may already be leveled on the pattern of the positive form. The suppletive forms of comparison remain the same, with corresponding phonetic changes.