GLOSSARY
ablaut – the patterned variation of vowel sounds in relation to meaning
in formsof the same root;
this variation may be in terms either of vowel quality or of vowel duration; it is seen in present-
day English in verbs such as sing ~ sang ~ sung.
accusative case – grammatical case usually exhibited by a noun phrase often functioning as the
direct object of the verb, and usually (but by no means always) expressing semantically the goal
or patient of the action that the verb denotes.
agreement – formal relation between two elements, so the form of one element
Anglo-Norman – the variety of French spoken by those who invaded Englandat the time of the
Norman Conquest, and their descendants.