Song and Sing Differ by an Ancient Vowel Change
A song is a piece of music with words. Its vowel records a pattern thousands of years old.
A song is a short piece of music with words. The vowel difference between *sing*, *sang*, *sung* and *song* is not random: it is ablaut, an Indo-European system of meaningful vowel alternation far older than English, and the same pattern that gives *drink*, *drank*, *drunk* and *drench*. Every strong verb in English preserves a fragment of it. *Song* is the noun formed from the same root, standing beside the verb the way *bond* stands beside *bind*.
- A musical piece. *A folk song.*
- Birdsong. *Birdsong.*
- Cheap. *Going for a song.*
- Sing — the verb. *To sing.*
- Old English — *sang*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | song | A song. |
| Plural | songs | Songs. |
| Verb | sing | To sing. |
| Agent | singer | A singer. |
| Old English | sang | A song. |
- She sang an old song.Music.
- I bought it for a song.Idiom.
- Sing, sang, sung, song.Ablaut.
Ablaut families in English
- Sing, sang, sung, song
- Drink, drank, drunk, drench
- Bind, bound, band, bond, bundle
- Ride, rode, ridden, road
- These vowel changes predate English by millennia
Old English *sang*, of Germanic origin, the noun corresponding to *singan*, to sing.
What is ablaut?
An ancient Indo-European system of meaningful vowel changes, visible in sing, sang, sung, song and in every English strong verb.
Where does going for a song come from?
From the idea that a ballad or song was worth very little, so something sold cheaply went for one.