năme > nēm > niəm in certain dialects.
In 4. hām > hūm, or hom.
năme > neəm, niəm.
The intermediate stage of this development, however, is explained in two ways. According to Curtis it was (in 2) ā > ę̄ > ē > ī > iə. Luik (§ 244) shows that
das Vorrücken zum Vocalextrem ist an die Abstumpfung gebunden; wir finden es nur dort, wo auch Abstumpfung zu constatieren ist, wäbrend diese selbst ein weiteres Gebiet hat. Schon daraus folgt, dass die Abstumpfung das Primäre ist, dass also ihre Basis e war, nicht i. Dies wird bestätigt durch eine einfache Erwägung. Hätte die Abstumpfung die Lautstufe i ergriffen, so hätte sie auch das e treffen müssen, das ja schon seit Beginn der neuenglischen Zeit in allen Dialekten durch i vertreten ist. Endlich bieten die frühesten Zeugnisse nur e, nicht i, auch für solche Striche, die heute i haben.
According to this, then, the development is more probably ā̆ > ę̄ > ēə > iə, or, as Luik thinks, ā̆ > æ > æə, or ę̄ə > ēə > iə
[17. O. E. ō.—A List of Illustrative Words from the Aberdeen Dialect.]
Another Northern peculiarity relates to O. E. ō. While in the south O. E. ō developed to an ū-vowel or an ū-fracture, in Scotland it became ee (ui, ee, i). The process involved here does not yet seem to be fully understood. The modern dialect of Aberdeen is most pronounced in this respect, older i also frequently becoming u, o. The following examples taken from "Johnnie Gibb" (Aberdeen. 1871) will illustrate:
1. Words with an u (o)-vowel in English that have i in Aberdeen dialect: ither, "other"; mither, "mother"; tribble (O. Fr. troble), "trouble"; kwintra (O. Fr. contree), "country"; dis, "does" (3. s. of "do"); hiz, "us"; dizzen (O. Fr. dozaine), "dozen"; sipper (O. Fr. soper), "supper." Here we may also include, pit, "to put"; fit, "foot." Buik, "book," seems to show the intermediate stage, cp. also tyeuk, "took." On the other hand O. E. broðer > breeder; (ge)-don > deen; judge (O. Fr. juger) > jeedge, all of which have a short vowel in English recent speech.
2. Words with ĭ in Eng. that have ŭ in Aberdeen dialect: full, "to fill"; spull, "to spill"; buzness (cp. O. E. bȳsig), "business"; wutness, "witness"; wull, "will" (vb.); wunna, "will not"; wutty, "witty"; chucken, "chicken"; fusky (Gael. usquebah), "whiskey"; sun, "sin."
3. Words with ōō (or iu) in Eng. have ee (ī) in Aberdeen dialect: seer (O. Fr. sur), "sure"; seen, "soon"; refeese (O. Fr. refuser), "refuse"; peer (O. Fr. poure), "poor"; yeel (M. E. ȝole), "yule"; reed (O. E. rōd), "rood"; eese (O. Fr. us), "use"; shee (O. E. scēo), "shoe"; adee, "ado"; tee, "too"; aifterneen, "afternoon"; skweel, "school"; reet (O. E. rōt), "root"; constiteetion, "constitution." Cp. also gweed (O. E. gōd), "good." The w in gweed, skweel, shows again the process of change from o to ee. U in buik and w in kwintra also seem to represent the u-element that is left in the sound. In words like refeese, keerious, etc., where ee is from Fr. u, the sound is quite easily explained. So fusky from usquebah. Full, from O. E. fyllan, and buzness are interesting.