Problem: In Old English, there were far more strong verbs in the language than there are today. Some verbs have gradually just been turned into weak verbs by the abandonment of the old system of root vowel modification and the substitution of the -ed ending (dove vs. dived). But new verbs that have been coined or been borrowed from other languages have usually simply been given the weak form, (judge > judged). Why are borrowed verbs phrased as weak verbs in English?