hate, love, seize. Here we have three allomorphs which are phonologically conditioned: The final phoneme of the verb in its infinitival form decides upon the correct allomorph. If the verb ends in an alveolar plosive, we add /ɪd/ as in hate. With final voiced sounds other than alveolar plosives we add /-d/, otherwise /-t/. So far, so easy.
But there are a few adjectives with final <-ed> most of which require the pronunciation /ɪd/ or /əd/ (I may not have dug up all):
- aged
- beloved
- blessed
- cragged
- crooked
- cursed
- cussed
- deuced
- dogged
- jagged
- learned
- -legged, legged3
- naked
- ragged3
- reserved
- rugged
- sacred
- wicked
- winged (sense: having wings)
- wretched
1 | he aged quickly, she's aged 12 | --> | my aged grandma | |
2 | I was beloved again | --> | my beloved daughter | |
3 | he blessed them | --> | the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
4 | ?? | --> | what a cragged stone | |
5 | its horns crooked backwards | --> | a crooked nose | |
6 | she cursed her fate | --> | she's a cursed woman | |
7 | the witch cussed him | --> | what a cussed day | |
8 | planes are deuced by some people | --> | don't be so deuced obstinate | |
9 | he dogged her footsteps | --> | their dogged resistance | |
10 | he jagged his hand | --> | Cornwall's jagged coast | |
11 | I've never learned this | --> | my learned friend | |
12 | I got on my toes and legged it | --> | he sat cross-legged on a stool | |
13 | ?? | --> | she was stark naked | |
14 | ?? | --> | men in ragged clothes | |
15 | he reserved two seats | --> | go fetch the reserved tickets | |
16 | she ragged him mercilessly about his sex life | --> | a land of rugged mountains | |
17 | ?? | --> | our chapel is a sacred place | |
18 | ?? | --> | she is a wicked person | |
19 | the bird winged back and forth | --> | Pegasus is a winged horse | |
20 | ?? | --> | he made the wretched happy |
- What about their pronunciations?
pronunciation(s)1 | ||||
1 aged | 'of a particular age' 'old' | --> | eɪdʒd ˈeɪdʒɪd | |
2 beloved | --> | bɪˈlʌvɪd, bɪˈlʌvd | ||
3 blessed | --> | ˈblesɪd | ||
4 cragged | --> | ˈkraɡɪd | ||
5 crooked | 'not straight' 'having a crook' | --> | ˈkrʊkɪd krʊkt | |
6 cursed | --> | 'kɜːsɪd, kɜːst | ||
7 cussed | --> | 'kʌsɪd | ||
8 deuced | --> | 'djuːsɪd, djuːst | ||
9 dogged | --> | 'dɒgɪd | ||
10 jagged | --> | 'ʤagɪd | ||
11 learned | --> | 'lɜːnɪd | ||
12 -legged | --> | 'legɪd | ||
13 naked | --> | 'neɪkɪd | ||
14 ragged | --> | 'ragɪd | ||
15 reserved | --> | rɪ'zɜːvd | ||
16 rugged | --> | 'rʌgɪd | ||
17 sacred | --> | 'seɪkrɪd | ||
18 wicked | --> | 'wɪkɪd | ||
19 winged | --> | wɪŋd, 'wɪŋɪd (= poetic) | ||
20 wretched | --> | 'reʧɪd |
--------------------------
1 based on LPD3 and CPD18 (if listed at all); /æ/ -> /a/; the reference accent is GB.
2 nominal = adjectival and substantival
3 My thanks go to John Maidment for drawing my attention to these two verbs. The sentences were pinched from various sources.
No, 12: There is a slang verb "to leg it", meaning to run off/escape. Its past tense is of course pronounced /legd/.
ReplyDeleteUseful list. You may also want to include adverbs in -edly (/əˈlɛdʒd/ but /əˈlɛdʒɪdli/) and, if less consistently, nouns in -edness: /prɪˈpɛːrɪdnəs, prɪˈpɛːdnəs/.
ReplyDeleteOh, you do mention that - I've missed it, sorry.
DeleteI was beloved again sounds completely archaic.
ReplyDeletecrag is not current as a verb.
crooked as a verb inflection is very unusual.
cuss Murray in OED 1893 called the word ‘vulgar. It’s still at best markedly inelegant.
deuce as a verb is non-existent and this example must’ve been invented.
deuced as adverb is archaic.
jag as verb is obsolete or dialectal according to OED.
reserved is not current as three syllables.
winged is only one syllable in current usge, as Wells sez “formerly and sometimes in verse” two syllables, eg 1697 Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 308 Then thus, with winged Words, the God began.
wretched is non-existent as a past tense or participle.
No. 14 There is a rather old-fashioned slang term "to rag", meaning to tease, make fun of.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed a recent trend towards pronouncing the "-ed" as a separate syllable in adjectival uses of past participles (regardless of phonetic environment). I rather like it.
ReplyDelete