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:
“Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one’s mind.”
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1966)
“When a child stays needy until he is fifty
oh mother-eye, oh mother-eye, crush me in
the parent is as strong as a telephone pole.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)