An historical study of the ?-vowel in accented syllables in English

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1893 edition. Excerpt: ...of these documents has been investigated by Morsbach in his Neuenglische Schriftsprache (Heilbronn, 1888), of whose results I have availed myself. These forms go back to non-W.S. forms in which the i-umlaut of ea is e. 3 Chaucerian texts exhibit ie occasionally for A.S. eo, io, where we should expect e, ee. Especially does this ie occur before f, as in thief, lief, etc. The value of this ie is doubtless close e, as the rime shows. The explanation of this phenomenon is possibly to be sought, not in the Southern or Midland dialect, but in the Kentish where, as was pointed out, ie, ye, regularly corresponds to A.S. eo, 10. Cf. Ten Brink, Ch. Spr. u. Versk., § 39. French influence, of course, cannot be ignored in this case. See, however, Behrens, Beitrage zur der Geschichte der Franzosischen Sprache in England, p. 146 seq.--Franzosische Studien, V. Band, 2 Heft. 4. M.E. e in final position. When e in M.E. occurs in final position, it becomes close, as slee beside sleth, slest, etc. See Ten Brink, Ch. sp. u. Versk., § 23, d. 5. A.S. §i, e (=Germ. se, and i-umlaut of a) occasionally: deed, drede, sleep, sleepen (verb), leche, eel, sheep, meet (suitable), mete (measure), clene, leeren, etc. Note.--These e-forms can be explained as coming from the nonW.S. dialects. e corresponds to: 1. A.S. se of whatever origin: breeth, deel ( A.S. diel), eer ( A.S. air), feer ( A.S. fier), meste ( A.S. maist), shethe ( A.S. scie3), threed « A.S. )uried), even « A.S. iefen), hele, speche, mede, reden, there, where, streete, eet, etc. In final position this M.E. e becomes close. Some of the above list of words sometimes appear with e (mid-front-narrow). See above under 4. 2. A.S. ea' of whatever origin: breed ( A.S. bread), deed ( A.S....