Page:Tolkien - A middle English Vocabulary.djvu/8



I. a varies with o (before m, n) ; as land, lang, lamb lond, long,

lomb; man, name (Westerns mon, nome. a. a (= a) varies in Northern texts with (i) ai, ay ; as (a) fare, /aw

fayre (3) fayre farest, fairest : (ii) wit A Southern o, oo ; see 14.

3. ai, ay varies with (i) ei, ey ; as mayntene meyntene: (ii) a; see

2 : (iii) o, oo ; see 2.

4. au (before m, n) varies -with a (chiefly in French words}; as

daunce dance.

5. be-, prefix varies with bi- ; as begynne biginne. ft. c varies with k ; as bac, court bak, kort.

7. des-, prefix varies with dis- ; as des-, disavanntage.

8. e (= e) varies in Northern texts with ei, ey ; as wel(e) weill,

weyl ; stele steill. See 1 3, 20.

9. ei, ey varies with (i) ai, ay (cf. 3) ; as weie, wey(e) way(e) :

(ii) hence in Northern texts with a ; as strat-ly streyte : (iii) with e ; see 8.

10. er varies with later ar; as fer, hertely far, hartely.

11. f vanes with u (= v) : (i) initially (Southern); as fader nader:

(ii) finally (Northern); as haf(e) haue.

12. ght varies with jt, cht (Scottish), ht, st ; as nyght nijt, nycht,

nyht, seuenist.

13. i (vowe'~) varies with y, passim : i, y varies with (i) e ' Northern

texts ; as hider, liuen, myddel heder, leue, medill : (ii) with e, (South) Western u ; as hil, fyrst hell, uerst hul, furst.

14. o, oo ( = 9) varies in Northern texts with (i) a ; as hot, hoot hate :

(ii) hence also with ai (see 2) : (iii) with oi, oy ; see next.

15. o, oo (= o) varies in Northern texts with (i) ou, u ; as god, good

goud, gud(e) : (ii) oi, oy ; as none, noon noyne.

1 6. (s)sch varies with (s)sh, ss; as schewe she we, ssewe; fle(s)3ch

flessh.

1 7. }> varies with th, passim.

1 8. u (in au, eu, ou) varies with w, passim ; see ai.

19. u, v (= u) varies with o (esp. before m, n); as sun(ne) sonne;

but bot(e); see also 15.

ao. n, v (= ii) varies in Western texts with (i) e, eo; as erthe ( Western) eor>e, vr}>e : (ii) with i, y, e ; see 13.

21. w varies medially with gh, 3 (u) ; as owen, own oghne, ojene,

oune : initially (Scottish) with v ; as woundit voundit.

22. y (consonant) varies initially with 3; as ye 36 ; medially with i,

(i)gh, <i)? ; as say, se(i)gh, se(i^e, saw.

23. single consonant varies with double; as sad sadde.

24. single vowel varies with double ; as breed brede, breadth ; wod

wood, mad.