But a new study shows that another evolutionary mechanism might play a key role : random chance. | Rebecca Rideal Read moreThe authors of the study say that the work adds to our understanding of how language changes over centuries. The hunt threw up 36 verbs which had at least two different forms of past tense, including quit/quitted and leaped/leapt. However, four of the six verbs show a rise in the irregular form of the past tense. But she said that it was likely that there were other pressures affecting which form of a past tense is favoured.

Source: The Guardian November 01, 2017 18:00 UTC