From: llama_nom
Message: 8920
Date: 2008-01-31
>worked in
> In my bumbling fashion, I had never noticed the way those verbs
> the strong/weak meaning-altering way.
> Thanks!
> Grace
>
>
> > brenndi upp.
> > (it) burned up (or he burned it up?).
>
> "he burned [it] up". As often, the causative verb is weak (brenndi upp
> "destroyed by fire"), the intransitive strong (brann upp "was destroyed
> by fire").
>
> It's the same with 'renna' strong = to run; 'renna' weak = to make run,
> to cause to run, etc. 'søkkva' strong = to sink (to go under);
> 'søkkva' weak = to sink (cause to go under). And, with a shift in
> meaning, 'drekka' (strong) "to drink"; 'drekkja' (weak) "to cause to
> sink, cause to drown", and quite a few others.
>
> I don't know if this helps to remember it--if not, ignore!--but the root
> of the causative verb in these examples has the same vowel as the
> preterite indicative singular + i-mutation: Proto-Norse *'brann' + the
> causative infix 'j' and the infinitive ending 'an' = *'brannjan' became
> Old Norse 'brenna'.
>
> LN
>
>
> Fred and Grace Hatton
> Hawley Pa
>