Weak and Strong
Weak verbs should be contrasted with strong verbs, which form their past tenses by means of ablaut (vowel gradation: sing - sang - sung). Most verbs in the early stages of the Germanic languages were strong. However, as the ablaut system is no longer productive except in rare cases of analogy, almost all new verbs in Germanic languages are weak, and the majority of the original strong verbs have become weak by analogy.
Read more about this topic: Germanic Weak Verb
Famous quotes containing the words weak and/or strong:
“Here’s that which is too weak to be a sinner,
Honest water, which ne’er left man i’ th’ mire.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Love works at the centre,
Heart-heaving alway;
Forth speed the strong pulses
To the borders of day.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)