The most conspicuous features of Late ME texts in comparison with OE texts is the difference in spelling. The written forms of the words in Late ME texts resemble their modern forms, tough the pronunciation of the words was different.
Major spelling changes in ME.
1. Runic letters thorn Þ, d, đ → digraph TH.
2. the rune wynne → double u w;
3. the ligatures œ, æ fell into disuse.
4. the use of g, c as [dg], [s] before
front vowel; [g], [k] before back vowel.
5. sh, ssh, sch → [∫];
6. hw → wh: Eg: hwæt what - replacement.
7. long sound double letters. Eg: book.
8. gh [x], [x] to distinguished between the fricatives; [xx] and the aspirate [h] Eg: knyhte [knixt], he [he].
9. o → [o],
[u] + n, m, v. Eg: OE munuc ME monk.
10. y → [i] eg: nyne, very, my.
[j] at the beginning: eg: yet.
11. w-interchangeable with u in ou, au. Eg: ME down down [dun];
how [hu].
12. th, s are voiced between vowels: eg:
worthy [wurđi];
are voiceless initially, finally: less.
Rules of Reading: They resemble the modern rules, with several exceptions though:
1. g = [dζ] c = [s] before front vowels ([i,e]
g = [g]c = [k] before back vowels ([a, o, u]). 2. y = [j] at the beginning of the word;
= [i] in the cases when i stood close together with r, n, m and could be confused with one of these letters or could be lost among them, it was replaced with y, sometimes also for decorative purpose.(e.g. nyne [ni:nə], very [veri]). 3. th = [ð], s = [z] between vowels.
4. o = [o] in most cases;
= [u] in the words that have [Λ] sound in Modern English (e.g. some, love) 5. j = [dζ]
9. OE sound system. Vowel & consonant changes in OE.
The OE vowel system. Major changes during the OE period.
1)Short: [ĭ, ĕ, æﬞ, ŭ, ŏ, ă] - ĭ, ŭ high, ĕ, ŏ mid,
æﬞ, ă low.
2)Long: [ī, ē, æ‾, ū, ō, ā]
This system existed before breaking took place in the 5th cent. BREAKING is a process which led to the split of the short front vowels into diphthongs.
Early OE OE eg.
Before ll æﬞ → ea all → eall
h + other cons. æﬞ: → ea: nah → neah
r + other cons ĕ → eo herza - heorte
æ - ea arm - earm
Diphthongization: after the palatal consonant (k), (sk) and (j) short and long [e] and [æ] turned into diphthongs ie or ea (scal sceal, jār - jēar);
I-MUTATION (i-umlaut) it took place in all Germanic languages in VI VIII cent, except Gothic. It is a case of regressive assimilation with i- or semivowel j. Eg: kuning c y ning (), fulljan fūllan (fill full). fōti fōel (foot). We find traces of i-mutation in: foot feet, goose geese, blood bleed. 4 new phonems appear y‾˘, œ‾˘ Palatal mutation led to the grouth of new vowel interchanges and to increase variability of the root morphemes. Back mutation (o, u, a umlaud) took place in the 8th cent. It influenced front short vowels → appearance of short diphthongs. Phonetically its regressive assimilation. I → io Eg: hefon → heofon (heaven). e → eo æ → æα
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OE consonants underwent the following changes:
1)Hardening (the process when the soft cons becomes harder) usual initially and after nasals [m,n] (ð-d, v-b, j-g) 2)Voicing (the proc. When a voiceless cons becomes voiced in certain position):- intervocally, - between a vowel and a voiced cons. and sonorant. [f,θ,h,s v,ð,g,z]
3) Rhotacism (a pr. When [z] turns into [r] maize Goth mara OE (more))
4) Gemination (a pr. Of doubling a consonant after a short vowel (as a result of palatal mutation)) settan OE set, fullan fill
5) Palatalization of consonants (a pr. when hard vowels become soft) before a front vowel and sometimes after a front vowels [d,j,k,h g,j,k,h]
6) Loss of consonants: The loss of nasals before fricatives:
Eg: fimf (OE)> fif (five); loss of [j] as a result of palatal mutation; fricatives between vowels and some plosives;
