hängan

• hänga (West Central)

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛŋɐn/
• Hyphenation: hän‧gan

From a conflation of three interrelated verbs all originally meaning “to hang”, but varying in their transitivity and intransitivity: 1.) Middle High German hāhen (transitive and intransitive), from Old High German hāhan (chiefly transitive [sic]), a strong verb with past forms hieng, gehangan, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han, from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną (intransitive). 2.) Middle High German hangen, from Middle High German hangēn (both intransitive). 3.) Middle High German hengen (“to hang, to dangle, to let go, to allow”), from Old High German hengen (“idem”), from Proto-West Germanic *hangijan, from Proto-Germanic *hangijaną (“to hang”, transitive).

Because of various interferences in the inflected forms, due to grammatischer Wechsel, umlaut and Rückumlaut, these three verbs were bound to be intermingled. Verbs 1 and 2 were merged in such a way that the present stem hang- was combined with the strong past forms of hāhen. This development is first attested in the north and seems to have spread from Middle Low German hangen to Central German dialects of Middle High German (14th century). The present stem is now häng- for all uses. The split is only upheld in the past participle forms, but is not consistently followed. Moreover, many speakers exclusively use the participle ghängt.

hängan (past participle ghångan) (East Central Bavarian, Vienna)

1. (intransitive) to hang; to be suspended

   Der Åpfe hängt åm Bam. ― The apple hangs on the tree.

2. (intransitive) to be attached to; to be fond of; to be devoted to; to cling to

   I häng sehr ån meine Kåtzn. ― I am very attached to my cats.

3. (intransitive) to depend on

   Synonym: åhängan

   Es hängt ån dir, wia ma weidertuan. ― It depends on you how we'll go from here.

From Middle High German hengen (“verb 3” in Etymology 1).

hängan (past participle ghängt) (East Central Bavarian, Vienna)

1. (transitive) to hang something; to suspend

   I håb s'Büd ån d'Wånd ghängt. ― I’ve hung the picture on the wall.

2. (transitive) to hang someone; to execute by hanging

   Wånn er verurtäult wird, hängan's eam. ― If he’s convicted, they’re going to hang him.

3. (reflexive) to hang on to; to follow

   Häng di ån dei Schwester, de kennt se aus. ― Hang on to your sister, she knows how things work.