Double consonants must be pronounced double, or long, as in Italian. Thus
_sunu_ (son) must be distinguished from _sunne_ (sun) in the same way as
_penny_ is distinguished from _penknife_. So also _in_ (in) must be
distinguished from _inn_ (house); noting that in modern English final
consonants in accented monosyllables after a short vowel are long, our _in_
and _inn_ both having the pronunciation of Old English _inn_, not of O.E.
_in_.
_c_ and _g_ had each a _back_ (guttural) and a _front_ (palatal) pron.,
which latter is in this book written _[.c]_, _[.g]_.
c = _k_, as in _c[=e]ne_ (bold), _cn[=a]wan_ (know).
[.c] = _kj_, a _k_ formed in the _j_ (English _y_) position, nearly as in
the old-fashioned pron. of _sky_: _[.c]iri[.c]e_ (church), _sty[.c][.c]e_
(piece), _th[e,]n[.c]an_ (think).
g initially and in the combination _ng_ was pron. as in 'get': _g[=o]d_
(good), _lang_ (long); otherwise (that is, medially and finally after
vowels and _l, r_) as in German _sagen: dagas_ (days), _burg_ (city),
_h[=a]lga_ (saint).
[.g] initially and in the combination _n[.g]_ was pronounced _gj_
(corresponding to _kj_): _[.g][=e]_ (ye), _[.g]eorn_ (willing),
_spr[e,]n[.g]an_ (scatter); otherwise = _j_ (as in 'you'): _dae[.g]_ (day),
_wr[=e][.g]an_ (accuse), _h[e,]r[.g]ian_ (ravage). It is possible that
_[.g]_ in _[.g]e-boren_ (born) and other unaccented syllables was already
pronounced _j. [.c][.g] = [.g][.g]: s[e,][.c][.g]an_ (say), _hry[.c][.g]_
(back).
f had the sound of _v_ everywhere where it was possible:--_faran_ (go),
_of_ (of), _ofer_ (over); not, of course, in _oft_ (often), or when
doubled, as in _offrian_ (offer). {4}
h initially, as in _h[=e]_ (he), had the same sound as now. Everywhere else
it had that of Scotch and German _ch_ in _loch_:--_h[=e]ah_ (high), _Wealh_
(Welshman), _riht_ (right). _hw_, as in _hwaet_ (what), _hw[=i]l_ (while),
had the sound of our _wh_; and _hl, hn, hr_ differed from _l, n, r_
respectively precisely as _wh_ differs from _w_, that is, they were these
consonants devocalized, _hl_ being nearly the same as Welsh
_ll:--hl[=a]ford_ (lord), _hl[=u]d_ (loud); _hnappian_ (doze), _hnutu_
(nut); _hrathe_ (quickly), _hr[=e]od_ (reed).
r was always a strong trill, as in Scotch:--_r[=ae]ran_ (to raise),
_h[=e]r_ (here), _word_ (word).
s had the sound of _z_:--_s[=e][.c]an_ (seek), _sw[=a]_ (so), _w[=i]s_
(wise), _[=a].r[=i]san_ (rise); not, of course, in combination with hard
consonants, as in _st[=a]n_ (stone), _faest_ (firm), _r[=i][.c]sian_
(rule), or when double, as in _cyssan_ (kiss).
th had the sound of our _th_ (= dh) in _then_:_--th[=u]_ (thou), _thing_
(thing), _s[=o]th_ (true), _h[=ae]then_ (heathen); except when in
combination with hard consonants, where it had that of our _th_ in _thin_,
as in _s[=e][.c]th_ (seeks). Note _haefth_ (has) = _haevdh_.
w was fully pronounced wherever written:--_wr[=i]tan_ (write), _n[=i]we_
(new), _s[=e]ow_ (sowed _pret._).