If I had any opportunity of teaching the language, I should no doubt have been able to introduce many other improvements; as it is, I have had to rely mainly on the suggestions and corrections kindly sent to me by various teachers and students who have used this book, among whom my especial thanks are due to the Rev. W. F. Moulton, of Cambridge, and Mr. C. Stoffel, of Amsterdam.
The oldest stage of English before the Norman Conquest is called 'Old English,' which name will be used throughout in this Book, although the name 'Anglo-Saxon' is still often used.
There were several dialects of Old English. This book deals only with the _West-Saxon_ dialect in its earliest form.
The vowel-letters in Old English had nearly the same values as in Latin. Long vowels were occasionally marked by (´), short vowels being left unmarked. In this book long vowels are marked by (-). The following are the elementary vowels and diphthongs, with examples, and key-words from English, French (F.), and German (G.):--
a _as in_ mann (G.) nama (_name_). [=a] " father st[=a]n (_stone_). æ " man glæd (_glad_). [=æ] " d[=æ]d (_deed_)[1]. e " été (F.) ic ete[2] (_I eat_). [=e] " see (G.) h[=e] (_he_). [e,] " men m[e,]nn (_men_). { 2} i " fini (F.) cwic (_alive_). [=i] " sieh (G.) w[=i]n (_wine_). ie " fin ieldran (_ancestors_). [=i]e " h[=i]eran (_hear_). o " beau (F.) god (_god_). [=o] " so (G.) g[=o]d (_good_). u " sou (F.) sunu (_son_). [=u] " gut (G.) n[=u] (_now_). y " véc_u_ (F.) synn (_sin_). [=y] " grün (G.) br[=y]d (_bride_). ea = æ + a eall (_all_). [=e]a = [=æ] + a [=e]ast (_east_). eo = e + o weorc (_work_). [=e]o = [=e] + o d[=e]op (_deep_). _e_ and _[e,]_ are both written e in the MSS.
The diphthongs are pronounced with the stress on the first element.
Those who find a difficulty in learning strange vowel-sounds may adopt the following approximate pronunciation:--
a as in ask (short) nama (n[)a]hm[)a]h). [=a] " father st[=a]n (stahn). æ " man glæd (glad). [=æ] " there [=æ]r (air). e, [e,] " men ete (etty), m[e,]nn (men). [=e] " they h[=e] (hay). i, ie " fin cwic (quick), ieldran (ildr[)a]hn). [=i], [=i]e " see w[=i]n (ween), h[=i]eran (heer[)a]hn). o " not god (god). [=o] " note g[=o]d (goad). u " full full (full). [=u] " fool n[=u] (noo). y " fin synn (zin). [=y] " see br[=y]d (breed). ea = [)e]-[)a]h eall ([)e]-[)a]hl). [=e]a = ai-[)a]h [=e]ast (ai-[)a]hst). { 3} eo = [)e]-o weorc (w[)e]-ork). [=e]o = ai-o d[=e]op (dai-op).