§ 360. SUBDIVISION VI. Verbs which are defective. Ouïr, to hear. (Weak Verb.) The forms ouïr, ouï, are almost the only parts of this verb that are now used. [Gésir, to lie down.] (Strong Verb.) The Present Infinitive is obsolete. in common use are: The only forms now PART. PRES. gisant Choir, to fall. (Strong Verb.) The only existing forms are: INF. PRES. choir PART. PAST chu both rare Echoir, to fall and to be due. Rarely used, except in the following forms: IND. PRES. INF. PRES. PART. il échoit, ils échoient So Déchoir, except Pres. Participle, which is obsolete; échéant, on the contrary, is often found. The compound tenses of both are common. Choir and échoir take être in compound tenses, like tomber (see § 333 for déchoir). *Clore, to shut. (Strong Verb.) Only used, and even then rarely, in the following forms : So éclore, which is more common, as it is the only way of rendering the intransitive form of the verb (to hatch), whereas clore has given place to fermer. For the rare verbs issir, férir, sourdre, souloir, chaloir, etc., see Notes and Illustrations. Clore is the same as clure in conclure. NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. § 361. Strong and Weak Verbs.* 1. Any form of a verb which has the tonic accent on the stem is said to be strong. Any form of a verb which has the tonic accent on the ending is said to be 'weak.' A verb which possesses a strong Simple Past Indicative is a strong verb, je tins. A verb which possesses a weak Simple Past Indicative is a weak verb je finis. (See note, p. 237.) 2. To prevent confusion it may be well to give the definition of a strong and a weak verb in English and German Grammar : "Strong verbs form their past tense by change of the rootvowel; weak verbs form their past tense by adding to the root of the present the letter d or t. The vowel e sometimes serves to unite the suffix d to the root. (Morris.) 3. All strong verbs have some weak tenses. Nearly all weak verbs have some strong tenses. 4. All strong verbs are old. Many verbs which were formerly strong are now weak. Many strong verbs have become defective; some have disappeared altogether. Every new verb introduced into the language follows one of two conjugations, either the weak conjugation in -er (porter), or the weak conjugation in -ir (finir). Hence the strong conjugation may be called the ancient or dead conjugation, and the weak conjugation the modern or living conjugation. 5. The strong verbs are few in number, the weak verbs are very numerous. There are no strong verbs in the conjugation There are a few in the conjugation in -ir and many in the conjugations in -oir and -re. in -er. 6. Both strong and weak verbs may be also irregular. In the following lists compound verbs are not given unless the simple verb is archaic. *The classification of Verbs into Strong and Weak seems to have originated with Diez. It has now the sanction of most grammarians. But against it are open for descriptive purposes the constant presence of weak forms even in those verbs which best deserve the name of 'Strong.' For comparative Grammar it has everything to recommend it. It is applied by Diez to all the Romance languages.-Romanische Grammatik, vol. ii. pp. 116-275. 1. Verbs like porter. 2. Aller, envoyer.3. Verbs like sentir. 4. Verbs like finir. 5. Bouillir, cueillir, fuir, assaillir, faillir, férir, haïr, ouïr, issir, vêtir. 6. Offrir, souffrir, couvrir, ouvrir. 7. Verbs like vendre. 8 Verbs like peindre. 9. Verbs in -uire. 10. Coudre, battre, vaincre, suivre. 11. Ecrire, naître. 12. Braire, frire, bruire, traire. Some of the verbs in -us (O.F. -ui) seem at first sight to be weak verbs. Diez calls them "semi-strong.' The student is referred to his Grammatik, vol. ii., pp. 239-261, for details; there the subject is discussed in full. § 364. Four Conjugations. The division into four conjugations has been retained here for the following reasons amongst others: 1. It is in common use, and serious inconvenience is caused by discarding it.* 2. Much may be said in its defence, although not on the ground usually taken. 3. If it is distinctly understood that the third conjugation is composed of strong and anomalous verbs, all the advantages of keeping to the old division into four conjugations are obtained without losing the advantages which perhaps belong to the division into three.t 4. Each verb in each conjugation can have its strong parts pointed out when needed, without disturbing the usual four conjugations. All the benefit of the strong and weak arrangement is thus obtained without the attendant disadvantages. Usually one of the series of seven verbs, recevoir, concevoir, percevoir, apercevoir, decevoir, devoir, redevoir, is given as a model of "regularity." Without exception these are irregular in form, if the modern test is applied. Moreover devoir and redevoir are the only two in which the infinitives are at all the correct resultants of the Latin; and hence the other five are irregular even in this sense. It is absurd to speak of a "regular conjugation made up of three common and four uncommon verbs, and which is burdened with some fifty or sixty verbs, many of which are of great regularity in derivation and in form, whatever test is applied. Of course these latter must, out of respect to the assumed regularity of the model-verb, be called irregular. In many respects the verbs in -oir differ from those in -er, -ir, -re, and cannot conveniently be classed with those in -re. This, however, has been done by Diez, and has been followed by Brachet. Brachet rather mystifies the learner at this point. He adopts first four conjugations (Hist. Gram. p. 198); then three (Hist. Gram. p. 204); then the Strong and Weak conjugations (Hist. Gram. p. 214). In a new work just published he has five. Oddly enough, he quotes in favour of the Strong and Weak division (Hist. Gram. p. 214) the passage from the Journal des Savants,' in which Littré approves of the division into Strong and Weak in the sense in which Burguy employs the words, (§ 392 note) and not in the sense in which he himself uses the terms, It is true that Littré has since come round to Diez, and has given up Burguy. |