A Handbook of the English Language Part 33

The genitive, ending in -es, occurs only in Old High German and Modern High German, _plasannes_, _weinnenes_.

-- 280. With these preliminaries we can take a clear view of the English infinitives. They exist under two forms, and are referable to a double origin.

1. The _independent_ form.--This is used after the words _can_, _may_, _shall_, _will_, and some others, as, _I can speak_, _I may go_, _I shall come_, _I will move_. Here there is no preposition, and the origin of the infinitive is from the form in -an.

2. The _prepositional_ form.--This is used after the majority of English verbs, as, _I wish to speak_, _I mean to go_, _I intend to come_, _I determine to move_. Here we have the preposition _to_ and the origin of the infinitive is from the form -nne.

-- 281. Expressions like _to err_ = _error_, _to forgive_ = _forgiveness_, in lines like

"To err is human, to forgive divine,"

are very remarkable. They exhibit the phenomena of a nominative case having grown not only out of a dative but out of a dative _plus_ its governing preposition.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON DERIVED VERBS.

-- 282. Of the divisions of verbs into active and pa.s.sive, transitive and intransitive, unless there be an accompanying change of _form_, etymology takes no cognisance. The forces of the auxiliary verbs, and the tenses to which they are equivalent, are also points of syntax rather than of etymology.

Four cla.s.ses, however, of _derived_ verbs, as opposed to _simple_, especially deserve notice.

I. Those ending in -en; as _soften_, _whiten_, _strengthen_, &c. Here the -en is a derivational affix; and not a representative of the Anglo-Saxon infinitive form -an (as _lufian_, _baernan_ = _to love_, _to burn_), and the Old English -en (as _tellen_, _loven_).

II. Transitive verbs derived from intransitives by a change of the vowel of the root.

_Primitive Intransitive Form._ _Derived Transitive Form._

Rise Raise.

Lie Lay.

Sit Set.

Fall Fell.

Drink Drench.

In Anglo-Saxon these words were more numerous than they are at present.

_Intrans. Infinitive._ _Trans. Infinitive._

Yrnan, _to run_ aernan, _to make to run_.

Byrnan, _to burn_ Baernan, _to make to burn_.

Drincan, _to drink_ Drencan, _to drench_.

Sincan, _to sink_ Sencan, _to make to sink_.

Liegan, _to lie_ Lecgan, _to lay_.

Sittan, _to sit_ Settan, _to set_.

Drifan, _to drift_ Draefan, _to drive_.

Feallan, _to fall_ Fyllan, _to fell_.

Weallan, _to boil_ Wyllan, _to make to boil_.

Fleogan, _to fly_ A-fligan, _to put to flight_.

Beogan, _to bow_ Bigan, _to bend_.

Faran, _to go_ Feran, _to convey_.

Wacan, _to wake_ Weccan, _to waken_.

All these intransitives form their praeterite by a change of vowel; as _sink_, _sank_; all the transitives by the addition of d or t, as _sell_, _sell'd_.

III. Verbs derived from nouns by a change of accent; as _to survey_, from a _survey_.

_Nouns._ _Verbs._ | _Nouns._ _Verbs._ | absent absent. | extract extract.

abstract abstract. | Ferment ferment.

accent accent. | Frequent frequent.

affix affix. | import import.

Augment augment. | incense incense.

Colleague colleague. | insult insult.

Compact compact. | object object.

Compound compound. | Perfume perfume.

Compress compress. | Permit permit.

Concert concert. | Prefix prefix.

Concrete concrete. | Premise premise.

Conduct conduct. | Presage presage.

Confine confine. | Present present.

Conflict conflict. | Produce produce.

Conserve conserve. | Project project.

Consort consort. | Protest protest.

Contract contract. | Rebel rebel.

Contrast contrast. | Record record.

Converse converse. | Refuse refuse.

Convert convert. | Subject subject.

Descant descant. | Survey survey.

Desert desert. | Torment torment.

Digest digest. | Transfer transfer.

essay essay. | Transport transport.

Walker attributes the change of accent to the influence of the participial termination -ing. All words thus affected are of foreign origin.

IV. Verbs formed from nouns by changing a final _sharp_ consonant into its corresponding _flat_ one; as,

_The_ use _to_ use, _p.r.o.nounced_ uze.

_The_ breath _to_ breathe -- breadhe.

_The_ cloth _to_ clothe -- clodhe.

CHAPTER XIX.

ON THE PERSONS.