Semantics

[french frank]

No one knows why irregular verbs came about

I certainly wouldn't be able to explain how every irregular verb came about, but would assume that they started out as regular (i.e. they conformed to a particular pattern or one of a number of patterns) and various natural sound changes gradually affected the individual forms messing up the neat pattern

[gurnemanz]

I'm not entirely sure of my facts but I think the strong verbs are actually the oldest ones referring to the most fundamental human activities - eat/ate, sit/sat, come/came, whereas more recent verbs are regular. In Germanic languages that means adding the so-called dental suffix d or t: play/played, burn/burnt. Any new verb coming into the language will be regular, eg: I texted him.

[french frank]

I'm not entirely sure of my facts but I think the strong verbs are actually the oldest ones referring to the most fundamental human activities - eat/ate, sit/sat, come/came, whereas more recent verbs are regular. In Germanic languages that means adding the so-called dental suffix d or t: play/played, burn/burnt. Any new verb coming into the language will be regular, eg: I texted him.

I gave up German before we got on to things like that. German(ic) is quite complicated having a longer history, I suppose, than Romance languages. And I've no knowledge at all of any other family of languages like Slavic.

Certainly, it's a rule that irregularities continue longer the more common/familiar the verb/noun; whereas analogy plays some part in regularising forms that aren't in common use.

[Mahlerei]

I rather like snuck, too; sounds the part. Pesky is another one.

[Sydney Grew]

Toedies watch out!

[mangerton]

Some towrag who can't spell wrote that sign. He should be taught how to tow the line.

[kernelbogey]

[...] shouldn't the BBC headline be "Mistake in Manley Hopkins's name"?

Or: The word is changed with the grandeur of God.

[kernelbogey]

Someone in my street has a poster in their window advertising a sale of 'New and preloved children's toys'. This expression appears to be taking over from 'pre-owned', and is even more teeth-grindingly awful. I'm not sure what makes it so detestable - the euphemistic evasion of 'second-hand', or the saccharine sentimentality of the introduction of the idea of love to a commercial transaction, as though giving up outgrown toys would be such an emotional wrench.

[mercia]

is it the children or the toys that are preloved, I wonder

[kernelbogey]

is it the children or the toys that are preloved, I wonder

Yes that could be a source of confusion - a sense of betrayal in getting rid of their toys?

[vinteuil]

Ghastly, of course. And an odd construction too - 'pre-loved' and 'pre-owned' here presumably meaning 'previously, loved', 'previously, owned'; but 'pre-' surely normally means 'before' - 'pre-war' meaning, say, before 1939 - so here - what were they 'before' they were loved, owned??

[kernelbogey]

Good point, Vinteuil. And 'pre' has now entered colloquial speech (broadcast, too, I fancy) as a discrete word meaning 'before', as in 'pre the election', 'pre the roman occupation' etc. Doesn't make any more sense of the neologism, though.

[Mahlerei]

And don't forget 'prequel' to describe a film that precedes an original film or series of films (eg Star Wars).

[kernelbogey]

And don't forget 'prequel' to describe a film [...]

So easy to imagine it being coined in a meeting in Hollywood....

[kernelbogey]

In the summer I spent some time with a woman who frequently, apparently unable to think of the right word, would say things like 'Can you pass me the eggy-lifty thing?' (i.e. a spatula). It was mildly endearing and became a bit of a joke between us. Recently, I was talking to a young graduate (of Women's Studies) about her ambition for a master's degree, which she said would probably be 'in something gendery'. I'd been wondering if these are examples of a trend and have just overheard two builders talking in the street and one said to the other 'You need one of those pushy-offy things'. Has anybody else some across this forgetty-guessy usage?