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Discussion Groups / British English / August 2008Go and wend
In article <6fdipnFb354pU1@mid.individual.net>, Einde O'Callaghan <einde.ocallaghan@planet-interkom.de> wrote: > According to some studies 25% of verbs in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) > were irregular whereas now only 3% are. Something that I have often been curious about is the history of "go" and "wend". It is obvious that "went", being the imperfect of "go", was originally the imperfect of "wend" (and I guess still is). But for the perfect, "go" uses its own past participle "gone". I am wondering if there ever was an imperfect of "go" derived from its own stem, and also what the past participle of "wend" would be. Cheers Tony  SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org > In article <6fdipnFb354pU1@mid.individual.net>, > Einde O'Callaghan <einde.ocallaghan@planet-interkom.de> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > its > own stem, and also what the past participle of "wend" would be. 'Go' is the Norse word (still current as gå or gaa in Norwegian, Swedish and Danish). Its imperfect is 'gi(c)k', but I have never seen it used in an English text. I can only imagine that 'wend' (also current in Scandinavia, now normally meaning 'go back') behaved like 'send'. SignatureNoel At 12:56:17 on Thu, 31 Jul 2008, Ildhund <jnllb@removemsn.com> wrote in <g6s995$o47$1@registered.motzarella.org>: >I can only imagine that 'wend' (also current in Scandinavia, now >normally meaning 'go back') behaved like 'send'. Would there not be a difference between "he went his way" and "he wended his way"? I see the first as a simple act of leaving the place he was in, and the second as implying that the path he followed was less than straightforward. In addition, I suspect that one can wend one's way *to* somewhere, not just *from*? SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) > At 12:56:17 on Thu, 31 Jul 2008, Ildhund <jnllb@removemsn.com> wrote in > <g6s995$o47$1@registered.motzarella.org>: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > in, and the second as implying that the path he followed was less than > straightforward. Yes, since "go" has appropriated "went" as its past tense, I guess we have had to regularise the past tense of "wend" to "wended" in order to preserve the distinction in meaning. Does any dialect of English use anything like "goed" as the past of "go"? > In addition, I suspect that one can wend one's way > *to* somewhere, not just *from*? Indeed, particularly home. Cheers Tony SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org >Does any dialect of English use anything like "goed" as the past of "go"? Geordie "ganned"? This seems to be from OE "gan" from which we get "go" but other may know more. SignaturePhil C. >> At 12:56:17 on Thu, 31 Jul 2008, Ildhund <jnllb@removemsn.com> >> wrote in <g6s995$o47$1@registered.motzarella.org>: >> >> >I can only imagine that 'wend' (also current in Scandinavia, now >> >normally meaning 'go back') behaved like 'send'. I was a bit hasty with that 'go back' there - the meaning is pretty much the same as the English has been, probably closest to 'turn' but often meaning 'turn around'. >> Would there not be a difference between "he went his way" and "he >> wended his way"? I see the first as a simple act of leaving the >> place he was in, and the second as implying that the path he >> followed was less than straightforward. > Yes, since "go" has appropriated "went" as its past tense, I guess > we have had to regularise the past tense of "wend" to "wended" in > order to preserve the distinction in meaning. OED 1989 explains thus: "The original forms of the pa. tense and pple. are respectively /wende/ and /wended/, /wend/, but the forms /wente/, /went/ appear beside these from c1200, and latterly become the more usual; in the refl. and intr. senses /went/ finally replaced the older preterites belonging to /go/, and from c1500 is most naturally regarded as the pa. tense of that verb, while /wend/ was provided with the new form /wended/." It's probably worth noting that the Teutonic root also gave us 'wander' and 'wind', as in lowing herd, so the less-than-straightforward progression seems pretty well entrenched. SignatureNoel > > Yes, since "go" has appropriated "went" as its past tense, I guess > > we have had to regularise the past tense of "wend" to "wended" in [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > lowing herd, so the less-than-straightforward progression seems > pretty well entrenched. Interesting, thanks. I guess the only curiosity remaining in my mind is what were "the older preterites belonging to /go/". Cheers Tony SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org At 11:18:25 on Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Tony Mountifield <tony@softins.clara.co.uk> wrote in <g6ure1$ee2$1@softins.clara.co.uk>: >Interesting, thanks. I guess the only curiosity remaining in my mind >is what were "the older preterites belonging to /go/". <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(verb)> is interesting on this subject, and the section "Origin of eode" suggests that the OE preterite was _eode_ or _yode_, formed from _eo_, and that there could be a direct relation with the Latin _ire_. SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) > At 11:18:25 on Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Tony Mountifield > <tony@softins.clara.co.uk> wrote in <g6ure1$ee2$1@softins.clara.co.uk>: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > _eode_ or _yode_, formed from _eo_, and that there could be a direct > relation with the Latin _ire_. Thanks, that article was an interesting read.... Cheers Tony SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org |
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