Norwegian the stopped element is dropped entirely, and nothing remains but a forward yh, so that kenna is pronounced yhenna. Both in Norwegian and Swedish g before front vowels has the simple sound of the consonant y. SH. The change of Old English sc into sh is not exactly parallel with that of c into ch, as it takes place after back as well as front vowels-not only in such words as ship (=scip), but also in shun (āscunian), etc. It is therefore possible that sc may have passed through the stage of skh, as in Dutch, a change which seems to be the result of the influence of the s, the kh instead of k being, like s, a sibilant unstopped consonant. The Old English spellings sceacan, sceoc, etc., for scacan, scōc, however, seem to point rather to a palatalization of the c at an early period. Whatever the development may have been, it is certain that the sound soon became simple, for we find it often written ss in the Early Middle period. In Swedish the sound of sh is fully developed, but only before front vowels. In Norwegian sk before front vowels changes its k into yh (voiceless y-consonant), which, as we have already seen, is the regular change, giving the combination s-yh, which is generally confounded with simple sh by foreigners. These facts tend strongly to confirm the view that the change of sk into sh in English also is due to palatalization of the k, although we cannot determine with certainty what the intermediate stages were. WORD LISTS. The following lists are intended to include the majority of the words of Teutonic-that is to say English or Scandinavian -origin still in common use, with the corresponding Old and Middle forms. The first column gives the Old English forms; the second the Middle English (but without the final e, p. 56) as deduced from the Old English forms and the present traditional spelling, which is given in the third column; the fourth, lastly, gives the present sounds. I have, of course, carefully compared the valuable pronouncing vocabulary of Early Modern English given by Mr. Ellis in his Third Part, especially in all cases of irregular change or anomalous spelling. These exceptions will be considered hereafter. The words are arranged primarily according to their vowels in the following order :-a (æ, ea, ei), ā, i, ī, y, ỹ, é (eo), è, ē, ☎=éé, ☎=èè, eã, eō, u, ū, o, ō. Then according to the consonant that follows the vowel in this order: h, r, 1, x, s, w, f, ng, n, m, g, c, d, t, b, p; and lastly according to the initial consonant in the same order. The principle I have followed is to begin with the vowels, as being the most independent elements of speech, and to put the stops at the extreme end as being most opposed to the vowels. The semivowels or open consonants naturally come after the vowels, and the nasals next to the stops. As regards position, back consonants come first, then front, then point, and then lip. Voice consonants, of course, come before breath. It will easily be seen that the same general principles have been followed in the arrangement of the vowels. The order of position is back, mixed, front; high comes before mid, and mid before low, and round last of all. To facilitate reference, I have often given the same word under as many different heads as possible, especially in cases of irregular development. Old English forms which do not actually occur, but are postulated by later ones, are marked with an asterisk. The Middle English forms in parentheses are those which, although not deducible from the spelling, are supported by other evidence. Norse words are denoted by N., and the conventional Icelandic spellings are occasionally added in parentheses. Many of the inorganic preterites (such as bore bær) have been included in the present lists: they are all marked with a dagger. |