The Proto-Germanic irregular weak verbs of class I

Abstract

This paper attempts to explain the origin and development of a subgroup of the Proto-Germanic weak verbs of class I (Gothic bugjan, waurkjan, þugkjan, þagkjan, sokjan and brukjan). The core of this group consists of Proto-Indo-European zero-grade primary *-ie/o presents, which all developed a j-present, ablauting preterit and *-to- participle in Early Proto-Germanic. In so doing, they came to violate the requirement that each ablauting verb must possess distinct present and preterit stems. With the introduction of a new preterit plural vowel in the ablaut model of classes V and VI, this problem was solved for the primary *-ie/o presents belonging to these. Owing to the dominance of the present tense within the strong paradigm, a remodelling of the preterit was also the preferred solution for the remaining verbs, and this was eventually found in the innovation of new weak forms through an analogy involving their *-to- participle.