OLD ENGLISH PHONETICS

SAXON INVASIONS AND LAND HOLDINGS, VI c. AD

ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND, VII-VIII c. AD

ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND, XI c. AD

THE RUNIC ALPHABET
FUTHARK
æ

Saint Cuthbert
returning from Scotland
by boat with two companions
(ab. 890 AD)
(the Moore Manuscript)

Northumbrian Arts
Initial page at the beginning of St Luke’s Gospel
(ab. 700 AD)

WORLD HISTORY by Orosius (9th c.)
Ohthere sæde his hlaforde Alfrede cyninge
[‘o:xtxere ‘sæ:de his ‘xla:vorde ‘ælfre:de ‘kyninge]
“Ohthere said (to) his lord Alfred (the king)
þæt he ealra Norþmonna norþmest bude…
[þæt he: ‘ealra ‘norþ’monna ‘norþmest ‘bu:de...]
that he (of) all Northmen to the north lived.
Þa fōr he giet norþryhte
[þa: fo:r he: jiet ‘norþ’ryxte]
Then sailed he yet to the north
swa feor swa he meahte
[swa: feor swa: he: ‘meaxte]
as far as he might (could)
On þam oþrum þrim dagum gesiglan.
[on þa:m ‘o:þrum þri:m ‘dajum je’sijlan]
in the other three days’ sail”.

WORD STRESS
OE forweorgan – “perish”
OE inn-gan – “go in”

HISTORICAL CHANGES
OF VOWELS
1) Correlation between Old English and other Germanic vowels
2) Front Mutation

HISTORICAL CORRELATION BETWEEN OLD ENGLISH
AND OTHER GERMANIC VOWELS
Gth slepan – OE slæpan – OHG slafan (sleep)
Gth sauþs – OE dead – OHG tot (dead)

FRONT MUTATION
(переднеязычная перегласовка, умлаут)
All vowels become narrow under the influence of the phonemes [i] or [j] in the succeeding syllable, these phonemes [i] and [j] being lost:
[a > e]; [a > æ]; [ea > ie];
[eo > ie]; [o > e]; [u > y]
*domjan > *doemjan > *demjan > OE dēman
(to deem).

ASSIMILATIVE CHANGES
OF VOWELS
1) Old English Breaking
2) Palatalization
3) Palatal Mutation
4) Back (Velar) Mutation

1) OLD ENGLISH BREAKING
The front vowels [e] and [ æ ] changed into diphthongs when they stood before [h, l, r] plus a consonant or before [h] at the end of the word, thus [ æ ] > [ea], [e] > [eo]:
Gth alls > OE eall (all);
OHG arm > OE earm (arm).

2) PALATALIZATION
After the palatal consonants “c” [k’], “g” [g’], “sc” [sk’] short and long [e], [æ] turned into diphthongs:
æ > ea; e > ie:
scæmu > sceamu > (shame).

3) PALATAL MUTATION
The same result as the Front Mutation gives, but through the influence of the sound [x’]:
neaht > nieht > niht, nyht
(the contraction of [ie] into [y]).

4) BACK (VELAR) MUTATION
Back vowels in the succeeding syllables transformed the accented root-vowels into diphthongs (if in the succeeding syllable there were [a, o, u]:
[æ > ea]; [e > eo]; [i > io]
cæru > cearu (care);
swestar > sweostor (sister).

OLD ENGLISH CONSONANT CHANGES
1) The Second Consonant Shift (between OE and OHG)
2) Contraction
3) Compensatory Lengthening

1) THE SECOND CONSONANT SHIFT

2) CONTRACTION
OE consonant “h” in the intervocal position was dropped but a long diphthong appeared instead
* sehan – [eh + a] > [eo] > seon (to see)
* slahan – [ah + a] > ea > slean (to kill, slay)
* fohan – [oh + a] > [o:] > fōn (to get)