Re: Irregularity in human languages (was Re: irregular conlangs)

Don Blaheta scripsit:

> "dive", etc.
Terminological note: the verbs ending in -ed are called "weak", the
ones with internal vowel alternation "strong".  Weak verbs can be
regular or irregular.

"Dive" along with "shit" and "twig" (comprehend) are oddball in that
they have recently become strong, probably because of analogies.
So the strong conjugation is not *utterly* non-productive,
just *mostly* non-productive.  Children do say "goed", but also
"brang" for the preterite of "bring".

> So the only two I can't explain (that I saw) were "breed" and "sweep".
> I suppose "sweep" could maybe be a little-kid verb.
Originally "sweep" was strong (OE "sweop", "swep", "gesweopan" IIRC),
but got a superfluous dental ending in ME. In some dialects, where final /t/
is weak or missing, it has reverted to strong:  "swep'".  The same
story with "leap" and (I think) "dream".

--
John Cowan                                   cowan@ccil.org
       I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin