So inflected. The dialectal *"swang" is fairly common — e.g.:
o “One of [the boys] swang [read ‘swung’] erratically, topping his ball, which rattled a few yards along the grass and disappeared into a drainage ditch.” Don Gillmor, “Scot on the Rocks,” Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale), 27 Feb. 1994, at J1.
o “As the youngster performed the [baseball] drill, he swang [read ‘swung’] away.” Rich Kaipust, “Mavs Lose Pair to Injuries,” Omaha World-Herald, 7 Apr. 1998, Sports §, at 30.
The weak form *"swinged" is an infrequent error — e.g.: “The game swinged [read ‘swung’] on an outstanding rebounding charge led by Pete Corzine and Cody Fallace.” Suzanne Mapes, “Lakers Use Defense to Propel Offense in Win,” Orange County Register, 19 Dec. 1996, at 16. Actually, “swinged” /swinjd/ is the correct past-tense form of “swinge” (= to beat or chastise).
Language-Change Index — (1) *"swang" for “swung”: Stage 1; (2) *"swinged" for “swung”: Stage 1.
*Invariably inferior forms.
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Quotation of the Day: “As Aristotle pointed out long ago, most people do not have the patience or intelligence to follow a logical argument very closely. Most people will be persuaded neither by reason nor by emotion, but by the ethos — the character — of the author.” James C. Raymond, Writing (Is an Unnatural Act) 60 (1980).
