PRINCIPAL VARIATIONS OF FORM OR SPELLING
I. a varies with o (before m, n) ; as land, lang, lamb lond, long,
lomb; man, name (Westerns mon, nome. a. a (= a) varies in Northern texts with (i) ai, ay ; as (a) fare, /aw
fayre (3) fayre farest, fairest : (ii) wit A Southern o, oo ; see 14.
3. ai, ay varies with (i) ei, ey ; as mayntene meyntene: (ii) a; see
2 : (iii) o, oo ; see 2.
4. au (before m, n) varies -with a (chiefly in French words}; as
daunce dance.
5. be-, prefix varies with bi- ; as begynne biginne. ft. c varies with k ; as bac, court bak, kort.
7. des-, prefix varies with dis- ; as des-, disavanntage.
8. e (= e) varies in Northern texts with ei, ey ; as wel(e) weill,
weyl ; stele steill. See 1 3, 20.
9. ei, ey varies with (i) ai, ay (cf. 3) ; as weie, wey(e) way(e) :
(ii) hence in Northern texts with a ; as strat-ly streyte : (iii) with e ; see 8.
10. er varies with later ar; as fer, hertely far, hartely.
11. f vanes with u (= v) : (i) initially (Southern); as fader nader:
(ii) finally (Northern); as haf(e) haue.
12. ght varies with jt, cht (Scottish), ht, st ; as nyght nijt, nycht,
nyht, seuenist.
13. i (vowe'~) varies with y, passim : i, y varies with (i) e ' Northern
texts ; as hider, liuen, myddel heder, leue, medill : (ii) with e, (South) Western u ; as hil, fyrst hell, uerst hul, furst.
14. o, oo ( = 9) varies in Northern texts with (i) a ; as hot, hoot hate :
(ii) hence also with ai (see 2) : (iii) with oi, oy ; see next.
15. o, oo (= o) varies in Northern texts with (i) ou, u ; as god, good
goud, gud(e) : (ii) oi, oy ; as none, noon noyne.
1 6. (s)sch varies with (s)sh, ss; as schewe she we, ssewe; fle(s)3ch
flessh.
1 7. }> varies with th, passim.
1 8. u (in au, eu, ou) varies with w, passim ; see ai.
19. u, v (= u) varies with o (esp. before m, n); as sun(ne) sonne;
but bot(e); see also 15.
ao. n, v (= ii) varies in Western texts with (i) e, eo; as erthe ( Western) eor>e, vr}>e : (ii) with i, y, e ; see 13.
21. w varies medially with gh, 3 (u) ; as owen, own oghne, ojene,
oune : initially (Scottish) with v ; as woundit voundit.
22. y (consonant) varies initially with 3; as ye 36 ; medially with i,
(i)gh, <i)? ; as say, se(i)gh, se(i^e, saw.
23. single consonant varies with double; as sad sadde.
24. single vowel varies with double ; as breed brede, breadth ; wod
wood, mad.
