Preteritopresence
Preteritopresentia are a special group of verbs in the Germanic languages . They arose from the past tense (or Indo-European perfect ) forms of some strong verbs , but have broken away from these and now form their own lexical units . A new weak past tense was created by adding a dental suffix (in German -t-). They partially overlap with the modal verbs and also share many criteria with them.
Introductory example
A not only morphologically but also semantically clear example is the verb Wissen , which is based on the Indo-European perfect form 3.Sg. * uoide 'he has seen', 3rd place * uid-nt 'they have seen' goes back (compare Latin videre 'see').
| Gothic | Old English | German | Old Norse | Danish | Swedish | Icelandic | |
| infinitive | witan | witan | knowledge | vita | vide | veta | vita |
| Present 1st and 3rd Sg. | wait | wāt | White | veit | ved | vet | veit |
| Present 3rd pl. | witun | witon | knowledge | vitu | ved | vet | vita |
| Past tense 1st and 3rd Sg. | wissa | know | knew | vissa / vissi | vidste | visste | vissi |
| Present participle | witands | witende | knowing | vitandi | vidende | vetande | vitandi |
| past participle | witans | Gewiten | known | vitat | vidst | vetat | vitað |
Preteritopresentia in primitive Germanic
The verbs proven for the primitive Germanic are:
| infinitive | meaning | class | Present | preterite |
| * witana | knowledge | I. | wait | wissa |
| * lisana | knowledge | I. | lais | lissa |
| * aigana | have, own | I. | aig | aihta |
| * dugana | benefit | II | daug | duhta |
| * unnana | grant | III | ann | unþa |
| * kunnana | know (how to do something), later can | III | can | kunþa |
| * þurbana | need | III | þarb | þurfta |
| * dursana | dare | III | dars | thirsta |
| * skulana | have to, should later | IV | scal | skulda |
| * munana | think | IV | man | munda |
| * gamunana | recall | IV | gaman | gamunda |
| * binugana | to be required | V | binag | binuhta |
| * ganugana | suffice | V | ganag | ganuhta |
| * magana | can like later | V | like | mahta |
| * ōgana | to fear | VI | ōg | ōhta |
| * mōtana | like, have to later | VI | mōt | mōsta |
| * gamōtana | Have space | VI | gamōt | gamōsta |
Preteritopresentia in German
Old High German
| Type of verb | shape | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| strong verb | Simple past: reit - ritun | Simple past: ritt - ritten |
| Preteritopresentia | Simple past: weiz - wizzun | Present tense: know - know |
The past tense weiz originally corresponded to “I saw, I saw”. So it referred to an event that is completed at the time of speaking, but the result of which has a direct influence on the present. This results in the present tense meaning “I know, I know, I know” for the past tense form , since the result or the knowledge can be described as still lasting.
In Old High German times, these verbs only had a presentic meaning.
The past tense of this verb class is weakly formed by adding a suffix .
Preteritopresentia show ablaut and inflection of an ablaut preterite , which is why they are assigned to the corresponding ablaut series.
Note: Empty cells suggest shapes that have not been handed down.
| Ablaut series | Pres. Ind. 1., 3. Sg. | Pres. Ind. 2. Sg. | Pres. Ind. 1., 3. Pl. | infinitive | Pret. Ind. | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | wheat | shows | wizzun | wizzan | wissa | know, recognize |
| I. | own | have, own | ||||
| II | tough | do | tohta | good | ||
| III | gan | gunnun | gunnan | gonda | indulge | |
| III | can | kanst | kunnun | kunnan | konda | know, can |
| III | may | may | durfun | durfan | villagea | need, need |
| III | guitar | guitar | guitar run | gitorsta | dare | |
| IV | scal | scalt | sculun | sculan | scolta | need to |
| IV | ginah | have in abundance | ||||
| V | like | maht | magun, mugun | magan, mugan | mahta, mohta | ability, can |
| VI | muoz | must | muozun | muosa | can, may |
Middle High German
| Ablaut series | Pres. Ind. 1., 3. Sg. | Pres. Ind. 2. Sg. | Pres. Ind. 1., 3. Pl. Inf. | Part. Pres. | Pret. Ind. | Part. Prät. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | wheat | shows | wizzen | wizzende | know, know, wiste, vest, desert | certain (almost only adjectival), gewist, gewest, gewust |
| I. | own | peculiar (but is already an adjective) | ||||
| II | touc | good, bad | virtues | tohte | ||
| III | gan (< ge -an) | ganst | gunnen, günnen | gunde | favored, favored (, favor) | |
| III | can | kanst | can, can | konde | ||
| III | may | may | may, may | could | (needs) | |
| III | tar | tarst | turren, turren | torste | ||
| IV | sol, sal (, schol, scarf) | solt, salt | soln, suln, suln | solte, solde | ||
| V | mac | maht | stomach, stomach, mugun, mügen | megende, tired | mahte, mohte | |
| VI | muoz | must | muozen, muezen | muose, must |
Remarks:
- zu tuoc: the transformation to the weak verb tougen begins as early as the 13th century
New High German
Most of the basic verbs in today's German preteritopresentia have died out; on the other hand, six derived preteritopresents have been preserved from them in the New High German language: may, can, like, must, should, know . Their characteristics that distinguish them from other verbs are as follows:
- Vowel change from singular to plural in the present indicative
- Missing ending -t in the 3rd person singular in the present indicative
- Dental suffix -t- and so-called back umlaut in the past tense indicative
- missing imperatives (except: "know!")
They share most of these characteristics with the modal verb want; Viewed historically, however, this is not a preterite present, but an optative form (desired form). In turn, Sollen is the only preterite present in today's German that does not have a vowel change.
Besides knowing , all preteritopresentia in German serve as modal verbs .
Preterite presentia in English
Old English
In Old English there are the following preteritopresentia, which are not documented in all forms.
| conjugation | pronoun | 'Can, master something' (today can, could ) | 'Can, have the opportunity to do something' (today may, might ) | 'Shall' (today shall, should ) | 'Know' (outdated wit ) | 'Have, be guilty' (today owe, ought ) | 'Use' (outdated dow ) | 'Dare' (today dare ) | ,to remember' | 'Need' (obsolete thar ) | 'Must' (today must , obsolete mote ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | cunnan | magan | sculan | witan | āgan | dugan | durran | ġemunan | þurfan | mōtan | |
| Present indicative | |||||||||||
| ic | cann | mæg | sceal | wāt | Ah | dēah | dearr | ġeman, ġemon | þearf | mōt | |
| þū | canst | meaht | scealt | wāst | āhst | dēaht | dearst | ġemanst | þearft | must | |
| hē / hit / hēo | cann | mæg | sceal | wāt | Ah | dēah | dearr | ġeman, ġemon | þearf | mōt | |
| wē / gē / hīe | cunnon | magon | sculon | witon | āgon | dugon | durron | ġemunon | þurfon | mōton | |
| Past tense indicative | |||||||||||
| ic | cūðe | guessed | sceolde | know, know | āhte | didhte | thorste, dyrste | ġemunde | þorfte | must | |
| þū | cūðest | meahtest | sceoldest | know, know | āhtest | dohtest | dorstest, dyrstest | ġemundest | þorftest | mustest | |
| hē / hit / hēo | cūðe | guessed | sceolde | know, know | āhte | didhte | thorste, dyrste | ġemunde | þorfte | must | |
| wē / gē / hīe | cūðon | meahton | sceoldon | wisson, wiston | āhton | dohton | dorston, dyrston | ġemundon | þorfton | mōston | |
| Present subjunctive | |||||||||||
| ic / þū / hē / hit / hēo | cunne | mæge | scule | wite | āge | dyge, dūge | dry, dry | ġemune | þyrfe, þurfe | mōte | |
| wē / gē / hīe | cunnen | mægen | school | witaþ | āgen | dūgen | dry, dry | ġemunen | þurf | must | |
| Past tense subjunctive | |||||||||||
| ic / þū / hē / hit / hēo | cūðe | guessed | sceolde | know, know | āhte | didhte | thorste, dyrste | ġemunde | þorfte | must | |
| wē / gē / hīe | cūðen | suspected | sceolden | wisten | āhten | dohten | thorsten, dyrsten | ġemunden | þorften | must | |
Annotation:
- Like cunnan , geunnan is conjugated with 'allow'.
New English
In New English you can recognize the preteritopresentia by the lack of the -s -Flexiv in the 3rd person. Sg. Present tense, e.g. he can 'he can' compared to he sing s 'he sings', simple past he sang 'he sang'. The present tense paradigm of can is therefore identical in form to the simple past of strong verbs.
In addition, you cannot form infinite verb forms for preteritopresentia, e.g. B. Infinitive ** to can, participle / gerund ** canning .
See also
literature
- Rolf Bergmann, Peter Pauly, Claudine Moulin-Fankhänel: Old and Middle High German: Workbook on the grammar of the older German language levels and on the history of German language , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, ISBN 3525208367
