SIGNIFICANCE OF ERRORS IN SPEECH. 43 



prised to find that none of these pronunciations is authorized 

 by any existing English dictionary-. This surprise shows the 

 vigor of the accentual law, despite the " authorities." 



The child says j^/vrd for i^ave and ivrited for xvrote, never 

 lave for I'lVi'd or dtioght for delighted. New words always 

 assume the d or ed to form the past tense. Telephane, lave and 

 deloohi would be nonsense, but o-/ved and periled and d or ed 

 so applied to any verb are always intelligible. D or ed is the 

 significant form : the change of / to a or 0, as in gave or tcrote, 

 has no meaning beyond the special cases where we are care- 

 fully taught to maintain them. By analogy the d form has 

 been extended to most of the English verbs, and the speaker 

 is striving to extend it to all. He has analogical reason for 

 saying gived for gave : he must be drilled into saying gave 

 for g/ved because it is " correct." To say gived is simply to 

 extend too far by the measure of one word the operation of a 

 linguistic development that is increasing the significance of the 

 English verb by simplifying and concentrating the expression 

 of tense. 



Words like snort and grunt in contrast with s)iore and 

 groan gain in significance by associating the forceful / with the 

 energy or quickness of the meaning of the word. So the defi- 

 niteness of time in Old English Irwiles is emphasized by the 

 addition of / in the modern 7vliilst. Against and amongst are 

 similar attempts to strengthen the words in analogy with other 

 forms where / or st seems to represent intensity. The superla- 

 tive suffix est, as in quiekest, and the perfect participial / in 

 learnt, burnt, and the like, with their common idea of finality, 

 probably play a part with the / of snort and grunt in giving 

 this significance to the consonant. That it is analogically 

 active is attested by the vulgar pronunciation of sudden as 

 suddent, attack as attackt and once as oncet. And the last form 

 is legitimated in German ei)ist, of precisely the same origin. 



When analogy has operated manifestly in open defiance of 

 etymology, the lexicographer calls it "popular etymology." 

 It were better termed " popular analog>'." Thus we say fore- 



