About the Book
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ...ME. heat, leaf. /UP v OE. e, eo, ME. efeel, thief. ji j_ 9 (law).OE. a + w, g(h), ME. auhaw, draw. OE. 5 + w, g(h), ME. (jubought, thought. 6 (ou).OE. a (aw), ME. Q home, blow. OE. 5 + w, g(h), ME. ougrow, (rain) bow. u (uw).OE. ME. odoom. The Short Vowels a...OE. ME. o, especially in Americanot, lot. x (man)OE. ae, ea, a(o.), ME. ahat, man. 3 (her).OE. ME. e, i, o, u + r, or r + cons.her, bird, word, spur. E (but).OE. ME. usun, run. e...OE. ME. ehelm. i...OE. i, y, ME. i(y)sit, pit. ...OE. ME. o, in London Englishnot, lot. u...OE. ME. u after labial consonantsfull, pull. "VV. The Diphthongs ai..OE. i, y, ME. i(y)while, mice. au..OE. ME. uhouse. iu..OE. e + w, ME. eu(iu)few, new. oi..ME. oi, 247join, choice. 243. The general changes affecting vowels in English have been numerous and various in character. There have been, for example, changes in quality and quantity, and sometimes in both. Phonetic changes have also been different in the case of stressed and unstressed vowels, so that each of these must be considered separately. The phonetic changes in English which apply to large classes of words will be discussed in the following sections, the reference being to stressed syllables unless otherwise stated. Shortening And Lengthening 244. Long vowels have been frequently and regularly shortened in the history of English. For example, shortening occurred in Middle English before two or more consonants, as slept OE. slapte, kept cepte. Long vowels were also shortened before a suffix or word making a second syllable, as wisdom, shepherd, bonfire, compared with wise, sheep, bone. Shortening has also occurred before dental consonants. The following words with short vowels, red, dead, blood, hot, wet, fat, breath, death, ...
