2. Consonantism.

Middle English consonantism was subject to some very important changes.

1. OE palatal consonants were fronted: palatal c [k] changed into ch [C], e.g.

OE ME

cild child

cin chin

palatal cZ [g] changed into dg [dZ]:

OE ME

brycZ bridge

hrycZ ridge

palatal sc [sk] changed into sh [S]:

scacan shaken

scxl shall

As a result of these changes all the palatal consonants disappeared; palatalisation was eliminated; new affricates [C] and [G] and the sibilant [S] came to existence.

2. “h” dropped in the initial position before consonants, e.g.

OE ME

hnutu nut

hrof roof

hring ring

hlaford lord

“f” in the initial position became breathed in Southern dialects, e.g. vixen, but fox;

3. “Z” vocalized in the initial position before a front vowel, e.g.

OE ME

Zēar year

Zieldan yield

3. Formation of new diphthongs.

“Z” vocalized and formed diphthongs after front vowels, e.g.

OE			NE
dxZ	[xj]		day	[ai]
weZ	[ej]		wey	[ei]
lxZ	[xj]		lay	[ai]
mxZ	[xj]		may	[ai]
seZl	[ej]		seil	[ei]
hēZ	[ēj]		hey	[ei]

These new diphthongs had the second component ‘i’. Besides there appeared a group of diphthongs with the second component ‘w’:

OE		ME
draZan	[aγ]	drawen	[aw] “draw”
āZan	[āγ]	owen	[ow] “own”

OE diphthongs had been rising diphthongs with the wide second component. New diphthongs differed in principle. They were falling, with the second component narrow: [ei], [ai], [au], [ou]. Note: vocalization of ‘Z’ after root-vowels did not necessarily mean diphthongization:

	OE	ME
i + Z changed into ī, e.g.	tiZele	tile
	siZþe	sithe
ī+ Z changed into ī, e.g.	stīZen	stien “rise”
u+Z changed into ū spelt as ou/ow, e.g.	būZan	bowen

Besides ‘Z’ changed into ‘w’ after liquids:

‘lZ’ changed into ‘lw’, e.g.

OE	ME
halZa	halwe “hallow”
folZian	folwen “follow”

‘rZ’ changed into ‘rw’, e.g.

OE	ME
morZen	morwe “morrow”
borZian	borwen “borrow”