Why is someone 'Hanged' not Hung?

Answer 1

Yes, it is correct grammar. Yes, a person is hanged but a picture is hung on the wall. But why?

A grammarian can't tell you. But a linguist can (a linguist studies everything about languages and how they are similar).

Even though grammar seems like it's a bunch of rules that we all have to follow, actually grammar-- as well as word meaning-- changes over time. Some changes come fast, especially with nationwide media: The new form of sentence where you say "I loved his hairdo--NOT." is something you will not find in your grammar text.

Let me pause a moment to explain something about grammar and language in general. Although we have dictionaries and grammar texts that tell us exactly what is ok or not, exactly what a word (is allowed to?) mean or not-- have you ever thought about the fact that these books keep coming out in new volumes? The newer dictionaries have words in them that weren't in the last ones; words that you were already using (bling-bling is probably in the very latest of dictionaries, for example) but the dictionary didn't have yet. This shows that it isn't the dictionary which decides what you say; it is YOU who decides what the dictionary says. In a very general sense. And the same is true of grammar. So when many people change how they speak, grammar books have to eventually follow. Many recent grammar books have even gotten rid of the awful 'prescriptive "he" ' where you say 'anyone who leaves his or her coat might lose it.' but many grammar books still say you have to use HE and can't say she. They say you must say 'anyone who leaves HIS coat...' even though half the class with coats are girls. (Actually we all say "anyone who leaves THEIR coat.." but grammar texts are slow to change.)

I hope that was amusing; my main point being, however, that words get added to the dictionary or words get different meaning or words get left out of modern dictionaries because of WHAT WE SAY. So, language changes, and it follows us.

How do we usually make a verb past tense? we add -ed. Danced, travelled, tried, squeaked, lived, washed, etc. If we made up a new verb we would create its past tense with -ed.

But this wasn't always true. Think of words like ate, gave, came, 'hung'! These don't use -ed. That rule didn't even used to exist!

However, the rule came to be true as more and more of out past tenses were -ed, which was like an avalanche: Like I said, now any new verb you could find or make up would end in -ed.

But it's not like people woke up one day and said, I think there is a new rule: I will from now on say 'striked' instead of 'struck'. What happened is, the verbs that were used most often never changed, because people were using them every day and a change would have been strange. But all the other, nondaily words started to change to -ed.

So, here we come back to 'hang'. It used to be that you hung both a picture and a criminal. But because people don't get hanged every day, but various things get hung on the wall every day, the everyday version of 'hang' (on the wall) never changed, and stayed 'hung', (just like the common words eat, sleep, and go were too common to change from their irregular past forms ate, slept, and went); whereas the less used 'to hang a person' actually changed, like danced, squeaked, and washed.

That means there are actually TWO verbs 'hang', one for pictures and other wall-hangings, and one for people. It makes sense: When you hang a picture, nobody dies. To hang a person doesn't mean you suspended him or her by their suspenders, it means exactly the rope around the neck and the prisoner dies.

So that's really the answer to your question: There are two DIFFERENT verbs 'to hang', and one is deadly and one is decorative. The less common form changed its ending to -ed but the more common form did not. And so they are written in our dictionaries and grammar texts and so we use the words today.

I hope you found that interesting!

Natasha
(Linguist)

Answer 2

Our English language is messed up indeed. Confusing no matter how much you try to understand it.

A simple explanation of which past participle of the verb hang to use is that people are hanged by the neck and pictures are hung on the wall.

Also to point out, that hung is used when something is hanging contineously for a long time.(like a portrait on the wall). We can also say that:-

"The culprit was hanged and this corpse was hung on the tree."

It can be tricky sure but I hope this helps:)

Take Care,
Amanda

Answer 3

Because the word "hung" is the past participle (pp) of the old English verb Hon, and Hanged is the pp of the Old English verb Hengjia.

The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that legal language, which is essentially conservative, has always maintained the pp Hanged for persons executed by hanging, even though, since the 1600s, English language speakers in general began using the pp Hung almost exclusively, except for metaphors concerning death by hanging.

Answer 4

From a Dictionary of Modern American Usage, " a jury which fails to agree on a verdict is said to be hung."
After searching several different sources, it is confirmed that hanged is certainly used when referring to how someone was put to death or when referring to death by the means of a rope. The correct usage of hung is when talking about items and sometimes people. For example, when saying Jesus was hung from the cross, you are stating that he was put up on the cross and not put to death by a rope (i.e. hanged). Also, a jury is referred to as a hung when they cannot agree on a decision. This is appropriate because you are not referring to the death of the jury. Ultimately, it is the decision of the person speaking but research has made a strong case for only using hanged when referring to death and hung when referring to items or a "hung" jury.

Answer 5

Hung is the past tense of hang.

Answer 6

Actually, you're hung like a horse - only people who are hanged to death are hanged. Everything else is hung.

Hanged is older English, when people got hanged more often. Now we don't hang people so often so the newer English, which often changes vowels rather than add the extra -ed syllable (laziness? maybe, but I think it does sound nicer), refers to things more often hung today - like coats or men.

The extra -ed syllable also scans better ie the word hanged has a stressed then an unstressed syllable so it fits better in the kind of poetry that needs to scan stressed-unstressed-stressed-unstressed ect (like Shakespeare). Hung is only one stressed syllable.

Answer 7

In grade college, (ok-8), in the 1950's, we've been taught that the words have been hold close, hung, hanged. What befell to the language on condition that then?? Did you hold close the photographs? definite, I hung all of them. He exchange into got here upon hung by utilising a belt in the closet. Drag, drug, dragged. it form of feels that the language is re-written to delight the journalist writing a piece of writing for the information. are you able to drag that chair over right here? The rider exchange into drug at the back of his horse. He exchange into dragged for one hundred ft. in the event that they might pass returned to creating use of the English language that exchange into taught in the early years, we does not be in a quandry relating to the use of words. merely my opinion from an ol' timer.

Answer 8

When hang means, as it generally does, "to suspend," then hung is the correct past-tense and past participial form of the verb: "Yesterday, I hung a picture on the wall"; "I have hung many pictures on many walls." When hang means "to put to death by hanging," however, hanged is the correct past-tense and past participial form: "We hanged the horse-thieving varmint yesterday";

Answer 9

That's just the way it is. People are hanged, pictures, etc. are hung.

Answer 10

Grammar

In standard usage, the past tense of the verb "to hang" when referring to an execution or death by hanging is "hanged", whereas in other contexts it is "hung".