Some Old English and Middle English letters

• used in handwriting until late in the 15th century: OE þæt, oðer, ME þat, oðer

• þ is sometimes used at the beginning of words, ð elsewehere.

• Many texts use only þ, others ð

• Dotted y used in earliest printed texts “ye Olde Englishe Tea Shoppe”

þ, ð

Some Old English and Middle English letters

• OE g was written and used for 3 sounds:– [g] as in go (gangan, guma) > ME gange, goom– [j] as in yellow (geolwe, geong) > ME y or– [ ] as in Icelandic; boga - ME w (bowe)

• In Middle English it was written and known as “yogh” – it was used for the sounds [j] and [x ]

• OE h in words such as niht, eahta, þoht became - later night, eight, thought

g

Some Old English and Middle English letters

• OE c was used for [k] and [ ]

can cniht cyrice céosan

• These usually became k and ch in ME

can kni3t chirche chese

c,k

Some Old English and Middle English letters

• OE cg was used for

bygc ecg

• This usually gg or dge in ME

bridge edge

cg

Some Old English and Middle English letters

• Old English w was written .

• In Middle English it was written

u, v, uu, v v

• Old English cw (cwic, cwén) came to be written qu (quick, quene)

w

See: http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/11/TOPICS/04OEalphab.html

Old English p, þ w and r and s looked rather similar:

p th w r s

The problem of the minim in Middle English writing

i n m u,v

The problem of the minim in Middle English writing

comeson - sunrunglungamongtongue

s u m e

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