Strong verbs
Strong verbs are characterized by the ablauting of their final root vowel through different tenses and aspects.
Each strong verb subclass has 5 different root vowel grades:
- 1st vowel or present vowel (P) is used in present tenses of root-dynamic aspects, as well as in gerunds and present participles.
- 2nd vowel or past minor vowel (PN) is used in past singulars and duals in realis moods of root-dynamic aspects. It is also the root vowel in all forms of root-static 2 aspects (causative-inceptive and causative-durative).
- 3rd vowel or past major vowel (PJ) is used in past paucals and plurals in realis moods and all past forms of irrealis and realis-irrealis moods of root-dynamic aspects. It is also the root vowel in all forms of root-static 3 aspects (iterative, distributive, frequentative, occurrative).
- 4th vowel or past participle vowel (PP) is used in past participles of root-dynamic aspects. It is also the root vowel in all forms of root-static 4 aspects (gnomic-iterational, fientive, cessative, intensive and Diminutive).
- 5th vowel or passive vowel (PS) is used in potential adjectives and is the root vowel of all passive forms.
Unlike the strong classes of other modern Germanic languages, Wistrish strong verbs are an open class, and most of the borrowed verbs are borrowed into it, as well as new strong verbs are formed through the means of strong verb formation.
Classification
Strong verbs are generally divided into two large groups: non-reduplicating (classes I to VI) and reduplicating (class VII).
Non-reduplicating classes
Non-reduplicating group does not undergo reduplication in the past tense. Some non-reduplicating classes which have root vowels -πΉ- and -πΏ- have them elevated to -π°πΉ- and -π°πΏ- if followed by consonants π, π, π· or π.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | -π΄πΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -πΉ- | -πΉ- | -π΄πΉ- |
| IIa | -πΉπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏΜ- |
| IIb | -πΏΜ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏΜ- |
| IIc | -π Μ- | -π°πΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏ- | -πΏΜ- |
| III | -πΉ- | -π°- | -πΏ- | -πΏ- | -π΄πΉ- |
| IV | -πΉ- | -π°- | -π΄- | -πΏ- | -π΄- (-π΄πΉ-*) |
| V | -π°- | -π°- | -π΄- | -πΉ- | -π΄- (-π΄πΉ-*) |
| VI | -π°- | -π- | -π- | -π°- | -π- |
* in j-presents
Classes III, IV and V differ based on the final consonant / cluster of the root:
- Final root vowel of class III is followed by a consonant cluster.
- Final root vowel of class IV is followed by a non-cluster sonorant (π, π», πΌ or π½).
- All other roots belong to class V.
Non n-present class VI verb roots never end in a consonant cluster: verbs with a present root vowel -π°- which end in one belong to reduplicating class VIIc
Reduplicating classes
Reduplicating group undergoes reduplication in past forms of root-dynamic aspects. Participles and root-static aspects are not affected by it and do not reduplicate.
Past tense reduplication or π°πΉ-reduplication is formed similarly to the intensive πΉπΌ-reduplication of adjectives: the initial consonant (or the initial fine consonant cluster) of the root is reduplicated and after it -π°πΉ- gets inserted. If a reduplicating verb starts with a vowel, nothing gets reduplicated and -π°πΉ- simply gets inserted before it.
Most of the reduplicating classes have variations 1 and 2: in variation 2 the root also undergoes ablauting in the past tense. The root vowel of variation 1 stays intact in preterite.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIIa1 | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- |
| VIIa2 | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π- | -π- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π- |
| VIIb | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- |
| VIIc1 | -π°- | -π°- | -π°- | -π°- | -π°Μ- |
| VIIc2 | -π°- | -π- | -π- | -π°- | -π- |
| VIId1 | -π΄- | -π΄- | -π΄- | -π΄- | -π΄- |
| VIId2 | -π΄- | -π- | -π- | -π΄- | -π- |
| VIIe | -π- | -π- | -π- | -π- | -π- |
| VIIf1 | -π°Μ- | -π°Μ- | -π°Μ- | -π°Μ- | -π°Μ- |
| VIIf2 | -π°Μ- | -π- | -π- | -π°Μ- | -π- |
| VIIg1 | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π΄πΉ- |
| VIIg2 | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π- | -π- | -π°ΜπΉ- | -π- |
| VIIh | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -π°ΜπΏ- | -πΏΜ- |
Infixed subclasses
There are two infixed subclasses of strong verbs: j-presents and n-presents.
J-presents are a major subgroup, characterized by having a -πΎ- infix before the leading vowel. Wistrish j-present class is open, and unlike Gothic and other Germanic languages extends to all strong classes. J-presents of class IV and class V verbs have a mutated 5th vowel.
N-presents are a minor though open subgroup of strong class VI. Roots of n-presents end in a cluster -π½π³, which becomes -πΈ- in past forms.