A history of the English Language

Part I (1892), both now somewhat antiquated, and the following works of 
H.C.Wyld: 
Historical Study of the Mother Tongue
(1906), 
A History of Modern Colloquial English
(3rd ed., 1936), 
A Short History of English 
(3rd ed., 1927). The same author’s
 Studies in English 
Rhymes from Surrey to Pope
(1924) presents some of the more important changes in popular form. 
A comprehensive and indispensable treatment based on a fresh study of the sixteenth- and 
seventeenth-century orthoepists is E.J. Dobson, 
English Pronunciation 1500–1700
(2 vols., 2nd ed., 
Oxford, 1968). 
A history of the english language 220

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occurred later. Changes in the consonants were rather insignificant, as they have always 
been in English. Some voiced consonants became voiceless, and vice versa, and 
consonants were occasionally lost. Thus 
w
before a following 
o
was lost when it followed 
another consonant: 
s
ō
(OE 
sw
ā
), 
h
ō
 
(who, OE 
kw
ā
).
 Sc
became 
sh
(OE 
scip
>ME 
ship
or 
schip
), or had already done so in Old English. But we do not expect much change in the 
consonantal framework of words. Nor was there much alteration in the quality sof vowels 
in accented syllables. Most of the short vowels, unless lengthened, passed over into 
Middle English unaltered. But short 
æ
became 
a,
and 
y
[y] was unrounded to 
i
in most 
districts, either early or eventually (OE 
crœft
>ME 
craft; brycg
>
brigge
). The other short 
vowels, 
ă
, 
ĕ
, 
ĭ
, 
ŏ
, 
ŭ
,
remained (OE 
catte
>
cat, bedd
>
bed, scip
>
schip, folc
>
folk, full
> 
ful
). 
Among the long vowels the most important change was that of 
ā
 
to 
mentioned in the 
preceding paragraph (OE 
bone; 
b
ā
t,
boat). The long developed 
in the same way as short (OE 
bride; 
fire). The long 
so characteristic a feature of Old English spelling, represented two sounds. In some 
words it stood for an 
ā
 
in West Germanic. This sound appears as a close outside the 
West Saxon area and remains in Middle English (Non-WS 
deed; 
sleep). In many words OE 
was a sound resulting from the 
i-
umlaut
of 
ā
.
38
This was a more open vowel and appears as in Middle English (
OE
clean; 
deal). These two sounds have now 
become identical (cf. 
deed
and 
clean
). The other long vowels of Old English preserved 
their original quality in Middle English (
meed; 
f
ī
f
>
f
ī
f,
five; 
book; 
h
ū
s
>
h
ū
s,
house, often written 
hous
through the influence of Anglo-
Norman scribes). The Old English diphthongs were all simplified, and all diphthongs in 
Middle English are new formations resulting chiefly from the combination of a simple 
vowel with a following consonant (
γ
, 
w
) which vocalized. 
If the quality of Old English vowels did not change much in passing into Middle 
English, their quantity or length was subject to considerable alteration. For example, Old 
English long vowels were shortened late in the Old English period or early in Middle 
English when followed by a double consonant or by most combinations of consonants 
(
gr
ĕ
tter,
comparative of 
gr
ē
t
< OE 
gr
ē
at; 
ă
sken
<
ā
xian,
ask). Conversely, short vowels in 
open syllables were lengthened in Middle English (OE 
b
ă
can
>ME 
b
ā
ken,
bake; 
eat). Such changes in length are little noticeable in the spelling, but they 
are of great importance because they determine the course which these vowels pursued in 
their subsequent development. 
38
See page 78. 
The renaissance, 1500-1650 221

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