12 Questions
Which vowel was represented by the letter 'i' in Old English phonology?
i
How were the vowels in Old English contrasted?
Through quantity as long to short
Which of the following was a front, non-labialized, monophthong in Old English?
æ
What does the line above a vowel in Old English indicate?
Length
Which of the following was a ligature in Old English vowel system?
œ
What makes Old English phonology somewhat speculative?
Being preserved only as a written language
Which types of consonants distinguished Old English between vowels?
Short and long consonants
What was a distinguishing feature of Old English vowels in stressed syllables?
Short and long vowels
Which of the following diphthongs existed in Old English but are no longer present in Modern English?
/io/
What is a phoneme that developed from palatalization in Old English?
/t/
How was the voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ pronounced after /n/ in Old English?
[ɡ]
Which of the following consonants in Old English came to alternate in some word inflections?
/j/
Study Notes
Old English Phonology
- In Old English, the letter 'i' represented the vowel /iː/.
- Old English vowels were contrasted based on length, quality, and position.
- /i/ was a front, non-labialized, monophthong in Old English.
- A line above a vowel in Old English indicated vowel length.
- The ligature 'ie' represented a diphthong in Old English.
Old English Vowels
- Vowels in stressed syllables were distinguished by their length and quality.
- The diphthongs 'ie' and 'eo' existed in Old English but are no longer present in Modern English.
Consonants and Phonemes
- Consonants /n/ and /ŋ/ distinguished Old English vowels.
- The phoneme /d͡ʒ/ developed from palatalization in Old English.
- The voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ was pronounced as [ŋ] after /n/ in Old English.
- The consonants /k/ and /t͡ʃ/ came to alternate in some word inflections.
Speculative Nature
- Old English phonology is somewhat speculative due to the lack of direct evidence.
Test your knowledge on the Old English vowel system which consisted of monophthongs, ligatures, and diphthongs in the 9th and 10th centuries. Explore the different vowel sounds and their phonemic distinctions with this quiz.
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