Middle English Phonological Evolution: Consonants and Vowels

Posted on Jun 28, 2026 in English Studies

Consonant Changes

Simplification of Consonant Clusters

  • H-dropping: [hr, hn, hl] > [r, n, l]. The sound of [h] disappears in speech but remains in spelling. OE hlaford > ME laverd > PDE lord.
  • Reduction: [hw] > [w] (wh, w) in the South. OE hwaet > ME wat, what.
  • [wl] > [l]: OE wlispian > ME lispen.
  • [d, t] loss: In clusters with [s]. OE andswaru > ME answer; OE godspell > ME gospel.

Loss of Consonant Sounds

  • [-w-, -v] > Ø: In medial position. OE lawerce > ME larke; OE hlaford > ME lord.
  • [w] between a consonant and a back vowel > Ø: OE swa > ME so.
  • [č] in unstressed syllables > Ø: Loss in final position. OE lice > ME ly.
  • [l] before [č] > loss of [l]: OE aelc > ME ech; OE swulch > ME such.

Positions of Loss

  • Apheresis: Initial loss.
  • Syncope: Medial loss [w], [v].
  • Apocope: Final loss.

Merger in Unstressed Syllables

Collapse of two or more sounds into one. [m] and [n] endings merge into [n], which eventually disappears in final unstressed positions. OE sittan > ME sitten.

Addition of a Sound

  • [d] insertion: Between [n] and [r] or [n] and [s]. OE gonra > ME gander; OE spinel > ME spindel.
  • [b] insertion: Between [m] and [d] or [m] and [r]. OE slumerde > ME slumberde.
  • [p] insertion: Between [m] and [t]. OE amting > ME empty.
  • Excrescent [t]: OF ancian > ME encient.

Vocalization and Metathesis

  • Vocalization: [j] > [i] (OE gelimpen > ME ilimpen); [x] > [w] after [l], [r] (OE halgan > ME halwen).
  • Metathesis: Reordering of sounds. OE bridd > ME bird; OE waeps > ME wasp.

Assimilation and Dissimilation

  • Assimilation: A sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound (OE wifman > ME wimman).
  • Dissimilation: A sound becomes less like the adjacent sound (OE nospyrl > ME nosthrel).
  • Voicing: Addition of vocal cord vibration (OE fixen > ME vixen).

Vowel Changes

Vowel Reduction

Centralization and laxing of short vowels (a, o, u, e) to schwa in unstressed syllables, inflectional endings, and prefixes. OE talu > ME talwe; OE modor > ME moder.

Long Vowels

  • Unrounding: [y:] > [i:].
  • Shift: [a:] > [o:] by backing or rounding.
  • Monophthongization: Merger of <eo> and <ea> into [e:].

Diphthongs

Includes borrowings from French [oi] and vocalization of [w] and [j] after vowels to create new diphthongs like [au], [ou], and [ei].

Quantitative Changes

  • Lengthening: Homorganic lengthening before [ld], [nd], [mb], [rd]. Open Syllable Lengthening (OSL) in disyllabic words.
  • Shortening: Occurs in unstressed long vowels, before consonant clusters, and in words with three or more syllables.