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Journal:
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OLD ENGLISH VERBS CLASSIFICATION
Mаrdоnоvа Sitоrа Mаrdоnоvnа
Thе tеаchеr оf thе dеpаrtmеnt оf mеthоdоlоgy in
Sаmаrkаnd Stаtе Institutе оf Fоrеign Lаnguаgеs
е-mаil:
+998912985192
Asadova Dariya Nurtasovna
Thе tеаchеr оf thе dеpаrtmеnt оf theories and methods of foreign language training
"Karaganda Research University named after Academician E.A. Buketov"
Аbstrаct:
This аrticlе аnаlyzеs thе sеmаntic structurе оf sоmе mоtiоn vеrbs in thе Еnglish
lаnguаgе, оn thе bаsis оf which spеcific sеmаntic еvеnts оf thе vеrbs оf mоvеmеnt аrе
dеtеrminеd. Thе mаin аttеntiоn is pаid tо cеrtаin structurеs аnd bоundаriеs оf vеrbs, thаt is, thе
sеmаntic fiеld оf vеrbs bеlоnging tо this grоup, аnd thе sеmаntic clаssificаtiоn оf lеxеmеs оf
this grоup оf vеrbs tо idеntify thеir cоmmоn, unifying, diffеrеntiаting sеmаntics. Frоm this
аrticlе wе cаn sее whаt thе mеаnings оf thе vеrbs usеd in Оld Еnglish tо this dаy hаd, аnd by
аttаching grаmmаticаl fоrms tо thеsе vеrbs, sоmе vеrbs аcquirеd аdditiоnаl mеаnings. Vеrbs
usеd during thе pеriоd оf Оld Еnglish hаvе bееn studiеd in diffеrеnt dirеctiоns аnd thе scоpе оf
thеir mеаning hаs bееn аnаlyzеd. In sоmе cаsеs it hаd diffеrеnt mеаnings in diffеrеnt cоntеxts.
Kеywоrds:
Diаchrоnic, typоlоgy, mеаning, sеmаntics, fоrm, spаcе, vеrbs оf аctiоn,
diffеrеntiаtiоn, pаth vеrbs.
Intrоductiоn
Old English, the earliest historical form of the English language spoken between the 5th
and 12th centuries, is rich with complex grammatical structures, particularly in its verbal
system. One of the most significant features of Old English is the classification of its verbs.
Understanding how verbs were grouped and used in Old English provides valuable insight into
the development of modern English and the broader Germanic language family.
Old English verbs are primarily categorized based on how they form their past tense.
The classification is broadly divided into
strong verbs
,
weak verbs
, and a few smaller,
irregular classes, including
preterite-present
and
anomalous verbs
. Each class follows
specific morphological patterns and reflects historical phonological developments.
Mаtеriаls аnd mеthоds
Strong Verbs
Strong verbs form their past tense and past participle through
vowel gradation
(also
known as ablaut), a system inherited from Proto-Indo-European. This internal change in the
stem vowel is the key characteristic of strong verbs.
Old English strong verbs are divided into
seven classes
, each following a distinctive
ablaut pattern:
Class
Present
Past
Singular
Past Plural
Past
Participle
Example
(Modern
English)
I
ī
ā
i
i
wrītan
(to
write)
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 04,2025
Journal:
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II
ēo
ēa
u
o
bēodan
(to
offer)
III
i/e
a
u
o
drincan
(to
drink)
IV
e
æ
æ
o
beran
(to
bear)
V
e
æ
æ
e
sprecan
(to
speak)
VI
a
ō
ō
a
faran (to go)
VII
reduplication
instead
of
ablaut
hātan (to call)
Example: wrītan (Class I)
Present: ic wrīte (I write)
Past singular: ic wrāt (I wrote)
Past plural: writon (we wrote)
Past participle: gewriten (written)
Weak Verbs
Unlike strong verbs,
weak verbs
form their past tense by adding a dental suffix (-de, -te,
-ede, etc.) to the stem, without changing the stem vowel. This is more similar to the way most
modern English verbs form the past tense (e.g., talk → talked).
Classes of Weak Verbs
There are
three main classes
of weak verbs:
Class I
: Generally formed with the suffix -de or -te. E.g., lufian (to love): lufode (loved)
Class II
: Typically ended in -ian in the present. E.g., macian (to make): macode (made)
Class III
: A small and irregular group. E.g., habban (to have): hæfde (had)
Weak verbs were far more numerous than strong verbs and became increasingly dominant in
Middle and Modern English.
Preterite-Present Verbs
These verbs originally had strong past tenses that came to be used as their present tenses.
A new weak past tense was then formed. Many of these verbs became
modal auxiliaries
in
Modern English.
Examples:
cunnan (to know, be able) → Modern can
sculan (must, ought) → Modern shall
magan (to be able) → Modern may
motan (to be allowed) → Modern must
Anomalous and Suppletive Verbs
A few verbs do not fit neatly into the above categories and are termed
anomalous
or
suppletive
. They may combine forms from different roots.
Example: wesan / bēon (to be)
Present: eom (I am), bēo (I am)
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Past: wæs, wǣron
Past participle: geweorþen (become)
This verb shows a mix of forms from multiple PIE roots and is inherently irregular—
much like its Modern English counterpart.
Conclusion
The Old English verbal system, with its rich array of morphological patterns, reveals a
linguistic world far more inflected than modern English. The distinctions between strong and
weak verbs, as well as the existence of preterite-present and anomalous forms, show how verbs
conveyed subtle nuances of meaning and tense. Studying these classifications not only aids in
understanding Old English literature and grammar but also offers a window into the historical
development of English as a whole.
List of used literature:
1. Mardonova, S. (2024). Qadimgi Ingliz Tilidagi “Feorrian, (Ge)Witan” Yo‘Nalish Harakati
Fe’llari Semantik Taraqqiyoti. Conference Proceedings: Fostering Your Research Spirit,
400-403.
Https://Doi.Org/10.2024/Yr2r9r77
2. Mardonova, S. (2022). Sitora SEMANTIC DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECTIONAL VERBS
IN OLD ENGLISH: SEMANTIC DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECTIONAL VERBS IN
OLD ENGLISH. Журнал иностранных языков и лингвистики, 4(4). извлечено от
https://fll.jdpu.uz/index.php/fll/article/view/7063;
3. Mardonova, S. (2024). QADIMGI INGLIZ TILIDAGI “FEORRIAN, (GE)WITAN”
YO‘NALISH HARAKATI FE’LLARI SEMANTIK TARAQQIYOTI. Conference
Proceedings: Fostering Your Research Spirit, 400-403. https://doi.org/10.2024/yr2r9r77;
4. Mardonova Sitora Mardonova. (2022). DEVELOPMENT OF LEXICAL-SEMANTIC
GROUPS OF VERBS AND DIRECTIONAL VERBS USED IN OLD ENGLISH. Web of
Scientist:
International
Scientific
Research
Journal,
3(5),
242–245.
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/H4DVZ;
5. Sitora Mardonova. (2022). THE SEMANTIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE VERBS
"FEORRIAN, FYRSIAN, FEORSIAN" IN OLD ENGLISH. Galaxy International
Interdisciplinary
Research
Journal,
10(5),
824–827.
Retrieved
from
https://giirj.com/index.php/giirj/article/view/3151;
6. Mardonova, S. (2024). QADIMGI INGLIZ TILIDAGI “FEORRIAN, (GE)WITAN”
YO‘NALISH HARAKATI FE’LLARI SEMANTIK TARAQQIYOTI. Conference
Proceedings: Fostering Your Research Spirit, 400-403.
https://doi.org/10.2024/yr2r9r77
7. Мардонова, С. 2024. Семантическое развитие глаголов “feorrian, fyrsian, feorsian” и
глаголов направления, которые включаются в 4 категории древнеанглийского языка.
Зарубежная лингвистика и лингводидактика. 2, 5/S (ноя. 2024), 411–420.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss5-pp411-420.
