Page:Icelandic Primer (1895).djvu/13



1. This book deals with Old Icelandic in its classical period, between 1200 and 1350.

2. The Icelandic alphabet was founded on the Latin, with the addition of þ and ð, and of the modified letters ę, ǫ, ø, which last is in this book written ö, ǫ̈.

3. The vowel-letters had nearly the same values as in Old English. Long vowels were often marked by (´). In this book long vowels are regularly marked by (¯) The following are the elementary vowels and diphthongs, with examples, and key-words from English, French (F.), and German (G.):—




 * - align="center"
 * a || as in || mann (G) || || halda (hold)
 * - align="center"
 * ā || " || father || || rāð (advice)
 * - align="center"
 * e || " || été (F) || || gekk (went)
 * - align="center"
 * ē || " || . . . || || lēt (let pret.)
 * - align="center"
 * ę || " || men || || męnn (men)
 * }