Verbs.
29. Survivals of Old Northern verbal inflexion are found only quite sporadically, thus: -fōrən [farinn] in the compd. mɩs·fō·rən. In the preterite is found mɩs·fø̄rd· (-fø̄ld) [misfór(sk)] with added d (for ø̄ from “ó”: see V, § 8), from which form d has found its way into the infinitive and present along with the preterite: he mɩs·fø̄r·dət. For ɔplø̄s· and ɔpløst· see uppløs. For lopəm (lopm) [O.N. hlaupinn] see lop, lup.
A single conjunctive form has been preserved, viz.: “verði” with dropped i-mutation, in the expr.: vē vâr dee (Un.; rare), woe to you! See var3, vb.
In the verb “to fɩn”, the old inflexion is still found (pres.: fɩn; preterite: fan; perf. part.: I’m fȯn, I have found[1], but, for the rest, the Shetl. dialect is almost in accordance with L.Sc., with reference to the inflexion of the verbs.
30. On the other hand, the Old Northern verbal constructions have been preserved to a great extent. Many of the Latin verbs current in English are not known, or not used by the common people, who prefer to employ everyday verbs of Northern or Anglo-Saxon origin in combination with certain prepositions or adverbs. In some cases, in which an old verb has been assimilated in form to an English or Scottish verb, the Old Northern use of the word has been preserved, differing from Mod. English or Scottish usage.
“to bear” is still occasionally used instead of the more common “to carry”. See Dict, under ber (kom, lay, set, stand, tak).
The English periphrasis with the auxiliary “do” (Shetl. “dø̄”) is now commonly used in Shetl. In some cases, however, where it might have been expected, this periphrasis is not used (e.g. in a couple of tabu-phrases): row no (pronounced rɔuna), don’t row; settle no, don’t settle. Cf. “why spø̄rs dū?” to be found under huketi, adj.
- ↑ The use of “to be” instead of “to have” as auxiliary is characteristic of more recent Shetl.; thus, e.g.: I’m been ill; I’m done it; dey’re gotten plenty o’ fish; he was seen him; he was ta’en it, etc.
