🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1ie5i1INNlgr@bHARs12c.bnr.co.uk>, sizex@bnr.co.uk (Eric Barber) writes:
|> one of the striking features of English is its lack of conjugations
|> and declensions. 

Actually, English still contains conjugations, though the personal inflection
of most verbs is very simplified.  The two main groups of conjugations are
weak verbs (past in -ed) and strong verbs (past by ablaut).  In a general
way the subclasses under these groups correspond to the `conjugations' of
the Romance languages.  One could also argue that English has several 
declensions, too, based on the variation in patterns of forming plurals.
My point is, a language doesn't have to have an elaborate system of 
tense/aspect varying personal inflections to have conjugational and 
declensional classes.  

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John E. Koontz (koontz@bldr.nist.gov)

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