2.2 Vowel and consonant sounds in Old English

Old English had a rich system of vowel and consonant sounds. Long and short vowels, diphthongs, and unique consonant pronunciations set it apart from modern English. These phonological features were crucial to the language's structure and meaning.

Understanding Old English phonology helps us appreciate how the language evolved. Key differences include the pronunciation of 'c' and 'g', the use of þ (thorn) and ð (eth), and a more complex vowel system than we have today.

Old English Vowel Sounds

Long vs short vowel sounds

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• Old English distinguished between long and short vowel sounds
• Long vowels indicated by a macron (¯) above the vowel (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)
  • ā pronounced like the "a" in "father" (fāder)
  • ē pronounced like the "ay" in "day" (dēor)
  • ī pronounced like the "ee" in "meet" (wīf)
  • ō pronounced like the "o" in "home" (mōna)
  • ū pronounced like the "oo" in "boot" (hūs)
• Short vowels unmarked (a, e, i, o, u)
  • a pronounced like the "a" in "cat" (dagas)
  • e pronounced like the "e" in "met" (settan)
  • i pronounced like the "i" in "bit" (fisċ)
  • o pronounced like the "o" in "hot" (god)
  • u pronounced like the "u" in "put" (sunu)

Old English diphthongs

• Diphthongs combine two vowel sounds within a single syllable
• Old English had three main diphthongs
  • ea pronounced like the "ya" in "yard" (eald)
  • eo pronounced like the "yo" in "yonder" (ġeong)
  • ie pronounced like the "ee-eh" in "see-eh" (ġiefan)
• Diphthongs could be either short or long
  • Short diphthongs unmarked (ea, eo, ie)
  • Long diphthongs indicated by a macron (¯) above the first vowel (ēa, ēo, īe)

Old English Consonant Sounds

Consonant sounds in Old English

• Most Old English consonants pronounced similarly to modern English counterparts
• Notable differences
  • c always pronounced like the "k" in "cat," never like the "s" in "city" (cyning)
  • g always pronounced like the "g" in "goat," never like the "j" in "gem" (gōd)
  • h pronounced like the "h" in "hat" at the beginning of a word (hām), but like the "ch" in "loch" in the middle or end of a word (niht)
  • r always pronounced, even at the end of a word (fæder)
  • s always pronounced like the "s" in "sun," never like the "z" in "zoo" (sunu)
  • þ (thorn) and ð (eth) both pronounced like the "th" in "thin" or "then" (þā, ðæt)
• Double consonants (pp, tt, ss) pronounced the same as single consonants (sċip, setten, bliss)

Old vs modern English phonology

• Vowel sounds
  • Old English had a more complex vowel system with long and short vowels
  • Modern English has lost the distinction between long and short vowels
• Diphthongs
  • Old English had three main diphthongs (ea, eo, ie)
  • Modern English has different diphthongs ("oy" in "boy," "ou" in "house")
• Consonant sounds
  • Old English c and g had different pronunciations compared to modern English
  • Old English h had a different pronunciation in the middle and end of words
  • Old English r always pronounced, even at the end of words
  • Old English s always pronounced like the "s" in "sun"
  • Old English had the consonants þ (thorn) and ð (eth), no longer used in modern English