Cædmon's Metrical Paraphrase of parts of the Holy Scripture
þ[æt] he þa bẏsene from gode ·
brungen hæfde ·
"that from God those mandates he had brought"
Exeter Book, Riddle 25
Ic eom ... brungen of bearwum ond of burghleoþum
"I am brought from woods and fortress-heights (cliff-sides)"
The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology claims that the Old English strong past participle ȝebrungen became modern dialectical brung. Bosworth & Toller has two Old English verbs: weak brengan, p. brōhte, pp. brōht, and strong bringan, p. brang or brong, pp. brungen.
11 comments:
Awesome! If it's good enough for Cædmon, it's good enough for me.
The OED backs up Bosworth and Toller. They say it was probably formed on analogy of þinc/þanc/þunc, which was originally a strong verb before becoming weak, giving us the modern-day think/thought. Interesting that þinc and bring went opposite directions.
think was originally a strong verb? There must have been a weak form in pre-Old English, since there is German denken, dachte.
That's what the OED says—that although it appears as a weak verb in all the Germanic languages, including Gothic, it is generally believed to have been a strong verb at some point in the past. I really have no idea what evidence they have for that.
Brang and brung, especially the latter, are heard daily in the American South and South West and have been as long as I can remember … 46 years.
They are regarded as the linguistic equivalents of putting up a car on cinder blocks or drinking an RC Cola & Moonpie, even by their users.
I kind of miss RC Cola now …
They are regarded as the linguistic equivalents of putting up a car on cinder blocks or drinking an RC Cola & Moonpie, even by their users.
That's a nice analogy, altho I had to find out what RC Cola is. I remember hearing "brung" as a kid in southern Ontario.
I'm happy to say that I'm part of the "brought" crowd here in Winnipeg, Canada. However, I think there might be a few "brungers" in nearby small towns like Steinbach or Winkler, hehehe. (Sorry, inside joke.)
RC Cola is a cola drink, sold in the South only, it's far sweeter than Coke. The Moonpie is a horrific amalgam of marshamallow, chocolate icing and some odd sort of wafer …
It's interesting how weaker constructions seem to hold on in rural, more remote areas. Is it a stubborn atavism or rather a default of the human tongue & mind?
I have a soft spot for "brung." I didn't stop saying it until high school, about the same time I stopped saying "holler" for "yell" (because my drama teacher told me "holler" sounded "hillbilly"; remembering that makes me want to start using "holler" again, in defiance). So, this post has pleased me to no end.
God, now I want a Moonpie.
now I want a glass of Virginia Gentleman bourbon with ice-cold branch water … I bet this thread is baffling the inestimable Goofy
Indeed, I don't understand you people with your "brungs" and your "moonpies" and your "Virginia gentlemen"...
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