Changes in the middle

english
Changes in alphabet

 Norunic letters
Thorn – þ – and the crossed d – đ, ð – were
replaced by the digraph th, which retained
the same sound value: [Ө] and [ð]
the rune “wynn” was displaced by “double
u” – w – ;
the ligatures æ and œ fell into disuse
Spelling

 French influence:
ou – [u:]
ie – [e:]
ch – [t∫]
 ME double (French origin) vs ME out (native)
 ME chief (French origin) vs ME thief (native)
 ME chaumbre (French origin) vs ME child (native)
 Letters J, K, V, Q first used when imitating French
manuscripts
 G – [dʒ] before front vowels (gentil),
[g] before back vowels (good)

C – [s] before front vowels (mercy),

[k] before back vowels (course)
Use of diagraphs

 Sh (ssh, sch) ME ship (from OE scip)

 Dg - /dʒ/ ME edge
 Wh ME what
 Double letters for long sounds ME book, ME sonne
 Gh /x/, /x’/ ME knyght (OE cnieht)
O - /o/, /u/ ME monk [munk]
Y - /i/ ME very [`veri]
W and U in diagraphs are interchangeable ME
doun, down [du:n]