The History of English Podcast: Episode 36 – Finalizing the Alphabet

Host: Kevin Stroud
Release Date: December 23, 2013
Description: Exploring how the Old English scribes adapted the Roman Alphabet to accommodate the unique sounds of early English, and how these adaptations influenced modern English spellings.

Introduction

In Episode 36 of The History of English Podcast, Kevin Stroud delves into the complexities of finalizing the Old English alphabet. Building upon the previous episode’s exploration of Germanic sounds, this installment examines additional unique sounds in early English and their representation in writing. Stroud also highlights how these early adaptations laid the groundwork for modern English spellings.

Representing the "Th" Sound

Timestamp [00:09]

Stroud begins by discussing the challenge Old English scribes faced in representing the "th" sound—common in modern English but absent in Latin. The Roman Alphabet lacked a specific letter for this sound, leading scribes to experiment with various representations.

Key Points:

• Th Combination: Inspired by the Romans’ use of "th" to represent the Greek theta (θ), early English scribes initially adopted this combination. This method was evident in documents from northern British monasteries.

  “One solution was the letter combination th, which, of course, we still use today.” [00:50]

• Use of D: Some northern scribes replaced "th" with the letter "D," likely influenced by dialects where "th" sounds shift to "d," such as in parts of New Orleans ("dis," "dat," "dem").

  “...they used the letter D to represent the th sound.” [02:15]

• Introduction of Eth (ð): To distinguish the "th" sound from "d," scribes modified the letter "D" by adding a crossbar, creating the letter eth (ð). This symbol became standard in Irish-influenced northern monasteries.

  “The Anglo Saxons called this unique letter the... In modern usage, the letter has become known as eth.” [04:10]

Transition to Thorn (þ): In southern monasteries influenced by Roman tradition, scribes borrowed the runic symbol thorn (þ) for the "th" sound, resembling a flag-like letter similar to a modern "P."

“...this th sound was a native Germanic sound. So the runes already had a symbol for it... the runic symbol thorn.” [06:30]

By the 8th century, both eth (ð) and thorn (þ) were used interchangeably across England, but the Norman Conquest eventually standardized the "th" spelling back to "th," phasing out these unique characters.

“They switched over to that more traditional th letter combination which the Romans had developed for those Greek words.” [08:45]

Representing the "W" and "V" Sounds

The "W" Sound

Old English maintained the Germanic "W" sound, which Latin had lost. However, Latin didn't have a separate letter for "W," so scribes had to innovate.

Key Points:

• Use of U and Wynn (ƿ): Northern scribes continued using "U" for the "W" sound, whereas southern scribes adopted the runic letter Wynn (ƿ), another P-shaped symbol unique to representing "W."

  “...northern Britain chose to do what the early Romans had done. They used the letter U for the W sound.” [17:30]

• Confusion in Manuscripts: The similarity between Wynn, thorn (þ), and the letter "P" posed challenges in readability, later leading Middle English scribes to abandon runic symbols in favor of "U" and the emerging double "U" (w).

  “These three letters can make it challenging to read Old English texts.” [19:55]

Transition to Double U (W): Post-Norman Conquest, Norman scribes eliminated runic letters and reintroduced "W" as a separate character by doubling "U," leading to the modern "W."

“Double U became the standard way of writing that sound... All of those English words finally got their modern th spellings.” [21:10]

The "V" Sound

The "V" sound evolved separately from "W" and was distinct in Old English. However, without a dedicated letter, scribes used "F" to represent both "F" and "V."

Key Points:

• F for V: Recognizing the linguistic relationship between "F" (unvoiced) and "V" (voiced), scribes employed "F" for both sounds, especially when "F" appeared between vowels, naturally shifting to "V."

  “The early English scribes used the letter F for both the F and the V sounds.” [26:20]

• Influence of Norman French: After the Norman Conquest, Norman scribes introduced the letter "V," gradually replacing "F" in representing the "V" sound in many words. However, some words retained "F," such as "of."

  “A few words slipped through the cracks in their original form with an F still representing the V sound.” [29:35]

Vowel Representation

Old English scribes largely applied Roman vowel letters to represent English vowel sounds but introduced additional characters to capture unique pronunciations.

Key Points:

• Simple Vowel Spellings: Compared to modern English, Old English had more straightforward vowel spellings. Each vowel letter represented a specific sound without the extensive variations seen today.

  “It helps us to see how some of the strange spellings which we have in modern English evolved from a system that was once much more orderly and logical.” [45:00]

• Use of Ash (æ): To represent the "a" sound as in "hat," scribes introduced the letter ash (æ), a ligature of "A" and "E," derived from Germanic runes.

  “The letter was called ash... the Old English scribes applied that name to this new letter.” [38:15]

• Distinct Vowel Letters: Each vowel had a dedicated letter: "A" for the "ah" sound, "E" for the "e" sound, "I" for the "i" sound as in "king," "O" for the "o" sound, "U" for the "u" sound, and "Y" for sounds akin to "u" in "tune."

• Long and Short Vowels: Old English distinguished between long and short vowels, not by altering the phoneme but by the duration of the sound.

Evolution of Vowel Sounds

Over centuries, English vowels underwent significant changes, contributing to the complexity of modern English spelling.

Key Points:

• Great Vowel Shift: Stroud mentions that the most substantial change in vowel sounds occurred around 1500, marking the transition from Middle English to Modern English.

  “The biggest change in the English vowel sounds occurred at the end of the Middle English period around the year 1500.” [43:45]

• Impact of Borrowing: English's extensive borrowing from other languages introduced various vowel sounds and spellings, further complicating the vowel system.

• Dialectal Variations: Different English dialects preserved or altered vowel sounds differently, leading to the diverse pronunciations seen today.

Illustrative Comparison: Stroud reads modern sentences and their Old English vowel equivalents to demonstrate the profound impact of vowel shifts.

“He had fun hitting the ball and playing the game” becomes “hey hod fun hitting day ball on plying de Gama.” [35:00]

Punctuation in Old English

Old English punctuation was rudimentary and inconsistent compared to modern standards.

Key Points:

• Limited Punctuation: Often little to no punctuation was used. When present, symbols like the dot were used inconsistently to indicate pauses rather than sentence ends.

  “Sometimes it could appear in the middle of a sentence, and instead of being placed at the bottom of the line like a modern period, it was generally placed above the line.” [48:20]

• Shorthand for "And": The word "and" was commonly represented by a symbol resembling the number seven (et). Post-Norman Conquest, this was replaced by the ampersand (&), derived from a combination of "E" and "T."

  “So when school children recited the Alphabet, they would conclude by saying X, Y, Z and per se... that slurred together became ampersand.” [53:10]

Summary of the Old English Alphabet

Stroud provides a comprehensive overview of the Old English alphabet, highlighting its composition and the additional letters introduced to accommodate unique sounds.

Key Points:

• Latin Basis: The Roman Alphabet originally had 23 letters. Old English omitted "J," "W," and rarely used "Q," "X," or "Z."

  “The Anglo Saxons used 20 Latin letters... then they added the two Old English letters for the th sound, thorn and eth, and they added that runic letter for the W sound...” [50:00]

• Additional Letters: Added letters included eth (ð), thorn (þ), Wynn (ƿ), and ash (æ), bringing the total to 24 letters.

• Phonemic Inventory: Old English had approximately 37 phonemes, which is fewer than the 44 phonemes in Modern English.

• Precursor to Modern English: Understanding the Old English alphabet is essential for tracing the evolution of English spelling and pronunciation.

Conclusion and Preview

Kevin Stroud wraps up the episode by emphasizing the logical and systematic approach of Old English scribes in adapting the Roman Alphabet. This foundation facilitated the complex evolution of English spelling and pronunciation into the modern era.

Looking Ahead: In the next episode, Stroud plans to explore the events following King Ethelbert of Kent’s death, leading to the creation of the first poem in the English language.

“Next time, I'm going to return to the history of the Anglo Saxons... and examine that first Old English poem.” [56:20]

Notable Quotes:

• “The th sound is still very common in modern English, and it's a sound that goes all the way back to the original Germanic language.” [01:30]

• “Double U became the standard way of writing that sound.” [21:10]

• “The early English scribes used the letter F for both the F and the V sounds.” [26:20]

• “The letter ampersand literally means only the symbol and not the word.” [55:10]

Final Thoughts

Episode 36 of The History of English Podcast offers an in-depth exploration of how Old English scribes navigated the limitations of the Roman Alphabet. By introducing and modifying letters to represent unique sounds, they set the stage for the rich and complex spelling system of Modern English. This episode not only highlights historical adaptations but also illustrates the enduring legacy of these early linguistic innovations.

For those interested in the intricacies of the English language’s development, this episode provides valuable insights into the foundational elements that continue to influence English today.

Further Listening:

Stay tuned for the next episode, where Kevin Stroud will delve into the aftermath of King Ethelbert of Kent’s reign and the emergence of the first Old English poem, marking significant milestones in the history of the English language.