2E, 2F: Pronunciation of c, g, and Consonant Clusters

For Exercise 2A, listen to each sound clip (click on the Old English word) and then reproduce the pronunciation you hear (it will be helpful refer to the descriptions in A Gentle Introduction as well).

For Exercise 2B, read each word aloud, then click to check your pronunciation.

If you have difficulty loading the audio files, please listen along with the YouTube video.

4) The letter c is pronounced with a k sound if it comes before a back vowel (like o or a) or another consonant. If it comes before a front vowel (like i or e), or at the end of a word following a front vowel, it is usually pronounced like Modern English ch.

5) The letter g is pronounced with a “hard” g sound (i.e. the sound in the Modern English words give and grape) if it comes before a back vowel (like o or a) or another consonant. If it comes before a front vowel (like i or e), or at the end of a word following a front vowel, it is usually pronounced like Modern English y in yes or yellow.

In combinations of consonants, all of the consonants are pronounced, so for example the word cniht starts with a k sound, followed by an n sound. Two combinations of consonant letters have special values:

• The combination sc should be pronounced like Modern
  English sh.
• The combination cg should be pronounced like Modern
  English dg in a word like judge.

When h occurs in combination with l, r, n, as in hlæder, hræw, or hnigan, it can be pronounced a a slight breathing before the second consonant sound.