Qualitative Changes in eme

Qualitative vowel changes were less important.

1) OE close labiolized vowels [y], [y:] disappeared, merging with various sounds in

different dialectic areas:

[e, e:]

[y, y:] ->

[i, i:];

2) OE [a:] was narrowed to [):]: stan -> stone -> stone;

3) OE [as] was replaced by [a].

4) the most important of the EME qualitative changes was the loss of OE diphthongs,

which affected the entire system of vowels. As a result of this process the vowel

system lost the two sets of OE diphthongs. In the meantime, however, a new set of

diphthongs developed from combinations of vowels with consonants, due to the

vocalisation of the latter.

____Monophthongisation of OE Diphthongs_______

Change illustrated	Examples
OE ME	OE	ME	NE
ea -> Ј:	east	eest [Ј:st]	east
eo -> e:	deop	deep [de:p]	deep
ie -> e:, i:, u:	ciese	cheese ['tje:za]	cheese
ea -> a	earm	arm [arm]	arm
eo -> e	heorte	herte ['herta]	heart
ie -> e, i, u	scield	shield [fe:ld]	shield

Growth of New Diphthongs

In EME [j], [y] in the position between two vowels or after a vowel changed into

[i], [u] and formed diphthongs together with the preceding vowel.

OE			ME	OE			ME
e +j	->		ei	we3		->	way
e:+j	->		ei	3re3		->	grey
ж +j	->		ai	mж3		->	may
a + y	->		au	la3u		->	lawe
o + y	->		ou	bo3a		->	bowe
a: + w	->		ou	cnawan		->	knowen
a: + x	->		au	brahte		->	broughte
		Monophthongs			Diphthongs
Short		i, e, a, o/), u			ei, ai, oi, au, ou
Long		i:, e:,Ј:, a:, o:/:) u:

ME Vowels