Just why is being executed by hanging treated differently than other uses of hanging? We use "hanged" for being executed and "hung" for other uses.
"hanged" vs. "hung"
It's just the way it is. There's no reason why a verb shouldn't have two past tenses, depending on the meaning. I assume many other languages do the same thing.
Ok, I discussed this with my friend the other day. And the best example is the difference between
He's hanged
He's hung
You see, there's a big difference here. He's hanged means he is being executed. However, he's hung means that he is well-endowed.
I think that's the reason why, personally. :D
He's hanged
He's hung
You see, there's a big difference here. He's hanged means he is being executed. However, he's hung means that he is well-endowed.
I think that's the reason why, personally. :D
"It means they have a big penis." - That would be "hung". e.g. "He is well hung"
"Hanged" = put to death by hanging
Move along. Nothing to see here
"Hanged" = put to death by hanging
Move along. Nothing to see here
Supposedly, after a man was hanged, the blood would eventually pool in his lower extremities after death and cause swelling in his nether regions -- so the joke about the size of some of these post-mortem erections was to say that their owners had been "well-hung". (Remember that back in the old days, hangings were public, and the bodies were left on display as a warning to the rest of the population.) So the two expressions aren't unrelated at all, and are evidence that both past tenses have coexisted for a long time. As the last guest points out, there are a number of words in English that offer a choice of past tense forms, not just "hang" -- sneaked/snuck, lit/lighted, etc.
<<As the last guest points out, there are a number of words in English that offer a choice of past tense forms, not just "hang" -- sneaked/snuck, lit/lighted, etc.>>
But in case it's not a choice. It's mandatory to use "hanged" for executing, and "hung" for other uses.
But in case it's not a choice. It's mandatory to use "hanged" for executing, and "hung" for other uses.
No, it isn't. You can say that "He was sentenced to be hung from the neck until dead" or "he was hung at dawn". So either "hanged" or "hung" can be used for execution.
However, you would never really use "hanged" in other contexts -- laundry gets hung up on the clothesline to dry, not hanged up.
However, you would never really use "hanged" in other contexts -- laundry gets hung up on the clothesline to dry, not hanged up.
<<No, it isn't. You can say that "He was sentenced to be hung from the neck until dead" or "he was hung at dawn". So either "hanged" or "hung" can be used for execution.
However, you would never really use "hanged" in other contexts -- laundry gets hung up on the clothesline to dry, not hanged up.>>
So the question is, why does there exist a distinction between "people being hanged" and "clothes being hung".
However, you would never really use "hanged" in other contexts -- laundry gets hung up on the clothesline to dry, not hanged up.>>
So the question is, why does there exist a distinction between "people being hanged" and "clothes being hung".
hanged ---> participle
hung ---> adjective
compare with open vs opened
The door was open.
The door was opened (by me).
[in the olden days there was also close (adj) vs closed (participle) distinction]
hung ---> adjective
compare with open vs opened
The door was open.
The door was opened (by me).
[in the olden days there was also close (adj) vs closed (participle) distinction]
As in burnt/burned, burnt is preferred as adjective, burned as participle:
burnt sugar, the sugar is/was burned
burnt sugar, the sugar is/was burned
Although my reasoning may or may not be 100% accurate from a historical point of view, it might help to think of the difference between 'hanged' and 'hung' in the following way:
There are two closely related verbs that appear the same in the present tense: hang[1] and hang[2]
hang[1] is a strong verb meaning to suspend or be suspended from and is tensed this way: hang/hung/hung
hang[2] is a weak verb derived from a noun ("hang" n.) and means to put to death by hanging tensed thusly: hang/hanged/hanged. Hang[2] is a derivative of hang[1]
Although this might not exactly be the way it actually panned out (there may have just been two variations of hang[1] and the form 'hanged' merely solidified itself in that particular sense before standardization occurred), the example above does show how a verb can end up seeming to be the same verb but have different participles/preterites, and who knows--hang may have gone through the process I described but under the radar so to speak...
There are two closely related verbs that appear the same in the present tense: hang[1] and hang[2]
hang[1] is a strong verb meaning to suspend or be suspended from and is tensed this way: hang/hung/hung
hang[2] is a weak verb derived from a noun ("hang" n.) and means to put to death by hanging tensed thusly: hang/hanged/hanged. Hang[2] is a derivative of hang[1]
Although this might not exactly be the way it actually panned out (there may have just been two variations of hang[1] and the form 'hanged' merely solidified itself in that particular sense before standardization occurred), the example above does show how a verb can end up seeming to be the same verb but have different participles/preterites, and who knows--hang may have gone through the process I described but under the radar so to speak...