s. 23. It will readily be understood that the M.E. vowel-sounds were intermediate between those of Anglo-Saxon and of modern English. They can best be understood by consulting the table at p. 42 of my Primer of English Etymology; and, for French words, that at p. 126 of my Principles of English Etymology, Second Series. The pronunciation of M.E. and of Anglo-French vowels did not materially differ. Instead of here reproducing these tables, I give the approximate pronunciation of the first eighteen lines of the Canterbury Tales. But we must remember, that the pronunciation of words _in a sentence_ is not always the same as when they are taken singly, owing to the accent (or want of accent) due to their position. The word _his_ (hiz) may have its initial _h_ aspirated, when standing alone; but in the phrase _his shoures_, it is taken along with _shoures_, loses its accent and its initial _h_, and becomes (iz). Words are much affected by the manner in which they are thus grouped together. I denote this grouping by the use of a hyphen, and mark the accented syllables by a sloping stroke over every accented vowel; as is usual[25]. The elided final _e_ is denoted by ('). There is no elision at the medial pause; see below (s. 116). The medial pause is here denoted by a sloping stroke, as in the Ellesmere MS. Wh['a]n-dhat Apr['i]ll[*e]/ w['i]dh iz-sh['u]urez s['o]ot[*e] dh[*e]-dr['u]uht' ov-M['a]rch[*e]/ hath-p['e]rsed t['o]o dh[*e]-r['o]ot[*e], [*e]nd-b['a]adhed ['e]v'ri v['e]in[*e]/ in-sw['i]ch lik['u]ur, ov-wh['i]ch vert['y]y/ enj['e]ndred ['i]z dh[*e]-fl['u]ur, whan-Z['e]fir['u]s ['a]ek/ w['i]dh-iz sw['e]et[*e] br['a]eth insp['i]ired h['a]th/ in-['e]v'ri h['o]lt [*e]nd-h['a]eth dhe-t['e]ndre kr['o]pez/ ['a]nd dhe-y['u]ngg[*e] s['u]nn[*e] h['a]th-in dh[*e]-R['a]m/ iz-h['a]lf[*e] k['u]urs ir['u]nn[*e], [*e]nd-sm['a]al[*e] f['u]ulez/ m['a]aken m['e]lod['i]i[*e], dhat-sl['e]epen ['a]l dh[*e]-n['i]iht/ widh-['a]open ['i]i-[*e]-- sao-pr['i]keth h['e]m nat['y]yr[*e]/ in-h['e]r kur['a]ajez-- dhan-l['o]nggen f['o]lk/ too-g['a]on on-p['i]lgrim['a]ajez, [*e]nd-p['a]lmerz f['o]r too-s['e]eken/ str['a]unj[*e] str['o]ndez too-f['e]rn[*e] h['a]lwez/ k['u]uth' in-s['u]ndri l['o]ndez; [*e]nd sp['e]siall['i]i/ from-['e]v'ri sh['i]irez ['e]nd[*e] ov-['E]nggel['o]nd/ too-K['a]unter.br['i] dhei-w['e]nd[*e], dh[*e]-h['a]oli bl['i]sful m['a]rtir/ f['o]r too-s['e]ek[*e] dhat-h['e]m hath-h['o]lpen/ wh['a]n-dhat dh['e]i waer'-s['e]ek[*e].