Middle English Phonetics

The most conspicious feature of Late ME in comparison with OE texts is the difference in

• verb

• adverbs

• spelling

• noun

In ME which letters passed out of use?

• cyrillic

• runic

• latin

• sanskrit

Anglo-Normans introduced ... in XI century and this language changed ME spelling forever

• Latin

• Greek

• Danish

• French

Late ME notaries introduced ...

• sh

• u

• s

• e

OE word hwæt in ME

• how

• what

• hat

• wet

In ME digraph wh replaced the OE sequence of letters

• hw

• hv

• vh

• fh

Find interchangeable use of letters and sounds in ME:

1) i

2) u

3) j

4) [d3]

5) k

• 1) e

  2) ou

  3) d3

  4) j

  5) g

• 1) y

  2) o

  3) sh

  4) g

  5) c

• 1) y

  2) w

  3) y

  4) g

  5) c

• 1) a

  2) w

  3) y

  4) g

  5) c

In OE stress usually fell on the .... and word stress was ..., but in ME word stress acquired....

• 1)first syllable

  2)fixed

  3)positional freedom

• 1)second syllable

  2)free

  3) fixed position

• 1)third syllable

  2)fixed

  3)positional freedom

• 1)fourth sylllable

  2)free

  3) fixed position

Late ME had only two unstreessed vowels in unaccepted syllables:

• [a]

  [ i ]

• [ i ]

  [ə]

• [o]

  [ i ]

• [u]

  [ i ]

Find examples of quantitative vowel changes:

1) Short vowels were lengthened before two consonants

2) the preceding long vowels are short, and henceforth all vowels in this position became and remained short

3) Short vowels became long in open syllables

• 1) name [na:mə]

  2) kepte [ 'keptə]

  3) wild [ wi:ld]

• 1) kepte [ 'keptə]

  2) wild [ wi:ld]

  3) name [na:mə]

• 1) wild [ wi:ld]

  2) name [na:mə]

  3) kepte [ 'keptə]

• 1) wild [ wi:ld]

  2) kepte [ 'keptə]

  3) name [na:mə]