u > ü: dünne (OHG. dunni), thin; künne (OHG. kunni), race, generation; pl. süne (OHG. suni), sons; tür (OHG. turi), door; pret. subj. züge (OHG. zugi), inf. ziehen, to draw.
[Note.]— In Upper German certain consonant combinations often prevented umlaut from taking place where it might be expected. Of these the principal are:—
[1.] Before a liquid + consonant, as hulde (OHG. huldī), favour; schuldec (OHG. sculdīg), guilty; gedultec (OHG. gidultīg), indulgent; burge (OHG. burgi), dat. of burc, city; sturbe (OHG. sturbi), pret. subj. of stërben, to die; wurfe (OHG. wurfi), pret. subj. of wërfen, to throw, cp. [2 above].
[2.] u fluctuates with ü when followed by a nasal + consonant, as dunken, to seem, umbe, about, wunne, joy, beside dünken, ümbe (OHG. umbi), wünne. This fluctuation is especially common in the pret. subjunctive, as bunde, sunge, beside bünde, sünge, inf. binden, to bind, singen, to sing.
[3.] u fluctuates with ü when followed by gg, ck, pf, tz, ȥȥ, st, ch, and g, as brugge, brügge, brucke, brücke, bridge; mugge, mügge, mucke, mücke, midge; drucken, drücken, to press; hupfen, hüpfen, to hop; schupfen, schüpfen, to push; nutzen, nützen, to use; pret. subj. fluȥȥe, flüȥȥe; schuȥȥe, schüȥȥe, inf. flieȥen, to flow, schieȥen, to shoot; pl. bruste, brüste, breasts; kuchen, küchen, kitchen; pret. subj. fluge, flüge, inf. fliegen, to fly.
ā > æ: lære (OHG. lāri), empty; mære (OHG. māri), renowned; sæjen (OHG. sājan), to sow; pret. subj. næme (OHG. nāmi), pl. næmen (OHG. nāmīm), inf. nëmen, to take.
ō > œ: hœher (OHG. hōhiro), higher; hœhest (OHG. hōhisto), highest; hœren (OHG. hōren, from older *hōrjan), to hear; schœne (OHG. scōni), beautiful.
ū > iu: pl. briute (OHG. brūti), brides; hiuser (OHG. hūsir), houses.
Traces of the umlaut of ū, written iu (= ǖ), occur in late OHG. monuments of the tenth century. It is common in the writings of Notker († 1022), as hiute older hūti, skins; chriuter older chrūtir, herbs. In other writings of the tenth to the twelfth century the umlaut of ū is seldom found. Umlaut did not take place in Upper German before a following m, as rūmen from *rūmjan, to make room; sūmen from *sūmjan, to tarry.
ou > öu, often written eu, rarely oi, öi: löufel (OHG. loufil), runner; löuber (OHG. loubir), leaves.