| Phonetic conditions | Change illustrated | Examples | ||
| OE | ME | NE | ||
| Before homorganic consonant sequences: | Vowels become long | cild | child [tsi:ld] | child |
| sonorant plus plosive | findan | finden [fi:ndən] | .find | |
| (Id, nd, mb) | climban | climben ['кli:mbən] | climb | |
| cold | cold ['ko:ldJ | cold | ||
| feld | field [fe:ld] | field | ||
| fundon | founden ['fu:ndən] | found (Past of find) | ||
| gold | gold [go:ld] | gold | ||
| Before other | Vowels be- | fiftfs | fifty ['fifti] | fifty |
| consonant | come short | fedde | fedde ['feddə] | fed |
| sequences | mette | mette ['mettə] | met | |
| wisdom | wisdom ['wizdəm] | wisdom | ||
| In open syllables | Vowels be- | mete | mete ['me:tə] | meat |
| come long and more open | stelan | stelen ['ste:lən] | steal | |
| macian | maken ['ma:kən] | make | ||
| talu | tale [tа:1ə] | tale | ||
| nosu | nose ['no:zə] | nose | ||
| stolen | stolen ['sto:lən] | stolen | ||
| yfel | yvel, evel [i:vəl] [e:vəl] | evil | ||
| duru | doore ['do:rə] | door |
Development of OE [y] and [y:] in ME dialects
| OE | ME | NE | ||
| fyllan | Kentish | fellen ['fellən] | fill | |
| West Midland and South Western | fullen ['fyllən, fullən] | |||
| East Midland and Northern | Fillen [‘fillən] | |||
| mýs | Kentish | Mees [me:s] | mice | |
| West Midland and South Western | mus, muis [my:s, mu:s] | |||
| East Midland and Northern | mis, mice [mi:s] | |||
| OE | ME | NE | |
| stān | Northern | stan(e) [sta:nə] | stone |
| other fialects | stoon, stone [sto:n] | ||
| ald | Northern | ald [a:ld] | old |
| other dialects | old [o:ld] |
Development of Old English [æ, ǽ] in Middle English
| OE →ME | OE | ME | NE |
| æ→a | þǽt | that [θat] | that |
| earm | arm [arm] | arm | |
| blacu | blak [blak] | black | |
| æ:→ε: | strǽt | street [strε:t] | street |
Splitting of OE [a:] in Middle English
| OE | ME | NE | |
| lond, land | West Midlands | lond | land |
| other dialects | land | ||
| Lon3, lan3 | West Midlands | long | long |
| other dialects | lang |
Development of Old English Diphthongs in Early Middle English
| Change illustrated | Examples | |||
| OE | ME | OE | ME | NE |
| ea: æ: | ε: ε: | ēast rēad strǽt | eest [ε:st] reed [rε:d] street [strε:t] | east red street |
| eo: e: | e: e: | dēop cēosan hē | deep [de:p] chesen ['tЅe:zən] he [he:] | deep choose he |
| ie: i: e: | i: e: i: e: | līehtan hīeran rīsan cēpan | lighten ['li:x'ten] heren [‘he:rən] risen [‘ri:zən] kepen [‘ke:pən] | lighten hear rise keep |
| ea æ | a a | earm bæc | arm [arm] back [bak] | arm back |
| eo e | e e | heorte bedd | herte ['herte] bed [bed] | heart bed |
| ie i e | i e i e | nieht, niht hierde, hyrde hit (see bedd above) | night [nix't] herd [herd] it [it] | night 'shepherd* it |
Growth of New Diphthongs in Middle English
| Change | illustrated | Examples | ||
| OE | ME | OE | ME | NE |
| e+j | ei | we3 | wey [wei] | way |
| e:+j | ei | Згē3 | grey [grei] | greу |
| æ+j | ai | mæ3 | may [mai] | may |
| a+ γ | au | 1а3и | lawe ['1аuə] | law |
| o+γ. | ou | bо3а | bowe I'bouə] | bow |
| a:+w a: +x | ou | cnāwan | knowen ['кnоuən] | know |
| au+x | brāhte | braughte ['brauxte] | brought |
Middle English Vowels
| Monophthongs | Diphthongs | |||
| Short | i e a | o | u | ei ai oi au |
| Long | i: e: ε: a: o: | o: | u: | au ou |
The Great Vowel Shift
| Change illustrated | Examples | |
| ME(intermediatestage)NE | ME | NE |
| i: ai | time [ti:mə] ftnden [‘findən] | time find |
| e: i: | kepen l'ke:pən] | keep |
| field [‘fe:ld] | field | |
| ε: e: i: | street [strε:t] | street |
| east [ε:st] | east | |
| stelen ['stε:lən] | steal | |
| a: ei | maken ['mа:kən] | make |
| table ['ta:blə] | table | |
| э: о: ou | stone ['sto:n] | stone |
| open 1'o:рən] | open | |
| soo [so:] | so | |
| о: u: | moon [mo:n] | moon |
| goos [go:s] | goose | |
| u: au | mous [mu:s] | mouse |
| founden ['fu.ndən] | found | |
| now [nu:] | now | |
| au o: | cause ['kauzə] | cause |
| drawen ['drauən] | draw |
Vocalisation of г and Associated Vowel Changes
| Change illustrated | Example | |||
| ME | NE | ME | NE | |
| After short | o + r | o: | for [for] | for |
| vowels | thorn [torn] | thorn | ||
| a+r | a: | bar [bar] dark [dark] | bar dark | |
| i + r e + r } u + r | first [first] | first | ||
| ə: | serven ['servant] | serve | ||
| fur [fur] | fur | |||
| ə + г | ə | brother ['broðər] | brother | |
| After long vowels | i+r | aiə | shire ['Ѕi:ra] | shire |
| e: + r | iə | beer [be:r] | beer | |
| ε: + r | iə | ere ['e:r(ə)] | ear | |
| ε: + r | εə | there ['θεr(ə)] beren ['bеrən] | there bear | |
| a:+ r | εə | hare ['ha:rə] | hare | |
| o: + r | oə/o: | floor [flo:r] | floor | |
| o:+ г | uə | moor [mo:r] | moor | |
| u:+r | аuə | flour [flu:r] | flower |
Principal Quantitative Vowel Changes
| Early ME | Early NE | |
| Lengthening | before l d, nd, mb in open syllables | before ss, st, nt, ft |
| Shortening | before other consonant clusters | before [θ, d, t, k] |
Development of Sibilants and Affricates in Early Middle English
| Change illustrated | Examples | |||
| OE | ME | OE | ME | NE |
| k' g’ sk’ | tS d3 S | cild tǽcan ecse brycge fisc sceap | child [tSi:ld] techen [tε:tSən] edge ['ed3ə] bridge ['brid3ə] fish [fiS] sheep [Sε:р| | child teach edge bridge fish sheep |
Development of Sibilants and Affricates in Early New English
| Change illustrated | Examples | ||
| Late ME | NE | ME | NE |
| sj zj tj dj | S tS d3 | condicioun [kondi'sju:n] commissioun [komi'sju:n] plesure [ple'zju:r(ə)] visioun [vi'zju:n] nature [na'tju:r(ə)] culture [kul'tju:r(ə)] souldier [soul'djer] procedure [prose'dju:rə] | condition commission pleasure vision nature culture soldier procedure |