gemundon), of which it is the sign. Mind is, then, a præterite form with a present sense; whilst minded (as in he minded his business) is an instance of excess of inflection; in other words, it is a præterite formed from a præterite.
A præterite formed upon a præterite may also be called a secondary præterite; just as the word theirs, derived from their (a case formed from a case), is called a secondary genitive.
In like manner the present form mind is not a genuine present, but a præterite with a present sense; its form being taken as the test. Presents of this sort may be called transformed præterites.
It is very evident that the præterites most likely to become present are those of the strong class. In the first place, the fact of their being præterite is less marked. The word tell carries with it fewer marks of its tense than the word moved. In the second place they can more conveniently give rise to secondary præterites. A weak præterite already ends in -d or -t. If this be used as a present, a second -d or -t must be appended.
Hence it is that all the transposed præterites in the Gothic tongues were, before they took the present sense, not weak, but strong. The word in question, mind (from whence minded), is only an apparent exception to this statement.
Now the words shall, can, owe (whence aught), dare, may, man (of the Anglo-Saxon geman, the origin of mind), are, (irrespective of their other peculiarities), for certain etymological reasons, looked upon as præterite forms with a present sense.
And the words should, could, aught, dared (or durst), must, wist, might, mind, are, for certain etymological reasons, looked upon as secondary præterites.
This fact alters our view of the form minded. Instead of being a secondary præterite, it is a tertiary one. Geman (the apparent present) being dealt with as a strong præterite with a present sense, mind (from the Anglo-Saxon gemunde) is the secondary præterite, and minded (from the English mind) is a tertiary præterite. To analyse the word, the
præterite is first formed by the vowel a, then by the addition of -d, and, thirdly, by the termination -ed; man, mind, minded.
The proof of this we collect from the second persons singular, Mœso-Gothic. The second singular præterite of the strong class is -t; of the weak class, -es; of the present, both weak and strong, -s. Now the second singular of the words in point is skal-t, kan-t, áih-t, dar-t? mag-t, man-t, respectively.—Deutsche Grammatik, i. 852.