1. SHORT VOWELS.
Old English ă is (1) preserved before n and m: [744] and [788] Iame—name. [927] Adryan—jentylmane. [13] londe—wonande. [352] stond—lygand. [1128] stond—shynand. No part. pres. on-ond rhyming with an unvariable -ond has been traced out until now, but [1824] wepand—wonde (ags. wunden) seems to be the first. 2. Changed into o. [516] rome—frome ags. rûm—fram. [2446] mon)—done. [1190] none—shone—anon—done. [1257] ouercom—Aragon). [1989] son—can (= con). [2040] anon)—bone. A curious exception is [1929] grame (= greme)—teme—Ierusalem; cf. Gaw. l. [312].
O.E. e, the i-umlaut of a, is preserved: [373] end—wend. [476] went—jent. [924] tell̴—hell. [1702] hell—Desonell̴e. [1798] fell̴—hell̴. The past partic. of seón, segen, has been contracted into sen. [1562] sene—wene.
O.E. æ has become a: [45] spake—take. [363] ffare—bare. [726] and [876] sale—Portynggall̴e. [1074] passe—was. [1131] sale—tale. [1233] thare—fare. [1236] was—Sathanas. [1399] care—thare. [2287] was—alas.
æ has become e: [2026] wildernes—was. [764] derre—clere—ware (ags. wær). [1951] there—bere. [328] glad (= gled)—redd.
æ has become ay by the vocalization of the following g: [25] fayne—Torrayne. [1025] may—day, wey—laye. [1071] say—day. [2029] day—way.
O.E. ea becomes o before ld: [303] hold—bold, fold (ags. folde)—cold. [422] gold—mold, hold—told.
ea has become a: [399] Portyngall̴—bale (ags. bealu). [531] care—far) (ags. cearu). [1891] ffare—care.
ea has become e: [1166] beheld—feld—sheld—weld (ags. wealdan). [2359] preste—breste (ags. bearst).
O.E. eo has turned into e: [1166] beheld—ffeld—sheld—weld.