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10.11.2008Phonological system

-consonants-

plosives:

/p/ was slightly more aspirated in Old English than in Modern EnglishOE pund MnE poundOE pott MnE pot

/b/OE bedd MnE bed

OE bn MnE bone

/t/ very different in pronunciation, it was more dental in OE in MnE is velarOE tn MnE town

OE tid MnE tide

/d/ in OE was dental, now in MnE is velarOE duru MnE door

OE dd MnE deed

/k/ the same in OE and MnEOE clif MnE cliff

OE cl MnE cool

OD cniht MnE knight

/g/ velar plosive phonemeOE gold MnE gold short vowel /o/

OE grs MnE grassOE gn MnE to go

affricates:

/t/ palatal velarOE cild MnE child

/d/OE ecg MnE edge (under the influence of French spelling changed into edge)

/ed /

OE brycg MnE ?/bryd/

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fricatives:

phoneme /f/ was realized as two different allophones

/f/ [f] when it is in initial and final positionOE feld MnE field

OE folc MnE folk

OE hlf MnE loaf

[v] intervocalic position

OE hlafas /hla:vas/ MnE loafs

(as) nominative, accusative pl.

// [] initial and final position

OE orn MnE thorn

/orn/OE MnE oath

/a:/

[]internal positionOE o er MnE other

/oer/

OE eore MnE earth

( used to denote a letter and transcription symbol)

/s/ /s/ initial and final positionOE stn MnE stoneOE cs Mne chose

preterit singular

/z/ internal position

OE nosu MnE nose/nozu/

//OE scinan MnE shineOE disc MnE dish

// did not exist in OE

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/h/ [h] voiceless glottal allophoneOE hs MnE house

OE hm MnE home

OE hund MnE hound

[] voiceless palatal; preceded or followed by vowelOE chint MnE knight

OE riht MnE rightOE miht MnE might

[x] velar; preceded or followed by a back vowel

OE rh MnE rough

/ru:x/OE brhte MnE brought

OE loch MnE lake

// voiced velar fricative; when found between two back vowelOE dragan MnE to draw/draan/

OE boga MnE bow (luk)

/m/

OE - m MnE mouth/mu:/

OE munuc MnE monk

/munuk/

/n/ [n]

OE n MnE now

[]

OE singan MnE to sing/sigan/

OE dranc MnE drunk/drak/

*sin vs. sing situation which brings one phoneme to break into two phonemes

/n/ //

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/l/OE libban MnE to live

/liban/

OE lf MnE leaf /leaf/

OE climban MnE climb

/r/ trilled sound (tip of the tongue is rotating)OE rh MnE rough

OE rm MnE

/w/OE wf MnE wifeOE wendan MnE to go, to turn, to turn away from, to move

/j/ [j] preceded or followed by a front vowelOE giefan MnE to give

/jievan/

OE gif MnE if /jif/

OE dg MnE day/dj/