H (h), as in modern English, when initial. Ex. _hand_ (hand). Chiefly in words of English origin. In words of French origin, initial _h_ was usually mute, and is sometimes not written, as in _eyr_ (eir), an heir. In unemphatic words, it was also frequently mute; so that _hit_ was frequently written _it_, as in modern English. I, Y, short; (i). Ex. _him_ (him). Owing to the indistinctness of the old written character for _i_, when preceding or following _m_ or _n_, the scribes frequently wrote _y_ instead of it; as in _myd_, _nyl_, _hym_, _dynt_. But as this indistinctness does not reappear in modern printing, I have usually restored the true forms _mid_, _nil_, _him_, _dint_; which enables me to use _y_ as a symbol for long _i_, without confusion. But I use _y_ finally, as in mod. English. Ex. _many_ (man.i). I, Y, long; (ii). The scribes prefer the symbol _y_; hence I use it almost throughout. Ex. _byte_ (bii.t[*e]), bite; _delyt_ (delii.t), delight. I consonantal, I (j). There was no symbol for _j_ in M.E., though the sound was common, in words of French origin. The scribes usually wrote _I_, when the sound was initial, as in _Iay_ (jei), a jay. In the middle of a word, it is not distinguishable from the vowel, except by the fact that it precedes a vowel or diphthong, as in _conioyne_ (konjoi.n[*e]), to conjoin. The old spelling has here been retained, as the use of the modern E. _j_ seemed to involve too great an anachronism; but perhaps this is unpractical. Fortunately, the sound is not common. It is also denoted by _g_ before _e_ or _i_, as noted above. Ex. _Iuge_ (jy.j[*e]), judge. IE (ee); the same as _ee_, long and close. Not common. Ex. _mischief_, also written _mischeef_ (mischee.f). LE, often vocalic (l), as in E. _temple_ (temp.l). But note _stables_ (staa.blez). NG (ngg); always as in E. _linger_. Ex. _thing_ (thingg). O, short (o), as in _of_ (ov). But here _note particularly_, that it is always (u), i.e. as _u_ in f_u_ll, wherever it has in mod. E. the sound of the written _o_ in _company_, _son_, _monk_, _cousin_, &c. Ex. _sonne_ (sun.n[*e]), sun; _sone_ (sun.[*e]), son[23]; _monk_ (mungk); _moche_ (much.[*e]). In fact, the modern spelling arose from the use of _o_ for _u_, for mere distinctness in the written form, whenever the sound (u) preceded or followed _m_ or _n_ or _i_; and in a few other cases. O long and open, or OO; (ao) or ([`o][`o]); mod. E. _au_ in _Paul_, or _a_ in _fall_. Ex. _stoon_ (staon) or (st[`o][`o]n), a stone; pl. _stones_ (stao.nez). See s. 25. O long and close, or OO; (oo) or (['o]['o]); mod. E. _o_ in _note_, or G. _o_ in _so_. Ex. _sote_ (soo.t[*e]), sweet; _good_ (good). N.B. The M.E. _[=o]_ or _oo_ was never pronounced like the mod. E. _oo_ in _root_ (ruut). OI, OY (oi). Ex. _noise_ (noi.z[*e]): _voys_ (vois). OU, OW (uu); except before _gh_. Ex. _flour_ (fluur); _now_ (nuu). Rarely (aou), as in _soule_ (saou.l[*e]) from the A.S. _s[=a]wol_.