CHAPTER XX.
ON THE NUMBERS OF VERBS.
[§ 289]. As compared with the present plural forms, we love, ye love, they love, the Anglo-Saxons had the truly plural forms, we lufiað, ge lufiað, hi lufiað. The Old English also had a true plural inflection we loven, ye loven, they loven. The present English wants both the form in -en, and the form in -að. In other words, the Anglo-Saxon and the Old English have a plural personal characteristic, whilst the Modern English has nothing to correspond with it.
[§ 290]. In the forms luf-iað, and lov-en, the change from singular to plural is made by adding a syllable; but there is no reason against the inflection running thus—I love, thou lovest, he loves; we lave, ye lave, they lave; in other words, there is no reason against the vowel of the root being changed, just as is the case with the form speak, spoke; fall, fell.
Now, in Anglo-Saxon, with a great number of verbs such a plural inflection not only actually takes place, but takes place most regularly. It takes place, however, in the past tense only. And this is the case in all the Gothic languages as well as in Anglo-Saxon. Amongst the rest, in—
Mœso-Gothic.
| Skáin, I shone; skinum, we shone. | Gab, I gave; gêbum, we gave. |
| Smáit, I smote; smitum, we smote. | At, I ete; étum, we ete. |
| Káus, I chose; kusum, we chose. | Stal, I stole; stélum, we stole. |
| Láug, I lied; lugum, we lied. | Qvam, I came; qyêmum, we came. |
Anglo-Saxon.