Mir. 37, 1775, 3897, &c., but sometimes sounded, as 4737, 11377, Bal. xxviii. 1. So perhaps also dame in Mir. 6733, 13514, 16579, and Bal. ii. 3, xix. 3, xx. 2, &c.

x. The insertion of a parasitic e in connexion with r, and especially between v and r, is a recognized feature of the Anglo-Norman dialect. Examples of this in our texts are avera, devera, saveroit, coverir, deliverer, overir, vivere, livere, oevere, overage, povere, yvere, &c. As a rule this e is not sounded as a syllable in the metre, and in most of these words there is an alternative spelling, e.g. avra, savra, covrir, delivrer, ovrir, vivre, oevre, &c., but it is not necessary to reduce them to this wherever the e is mute. Less usually the syllable counts in the verse, e.g. overaigne in Mir. 3371, overage 8914, enyverer 16448, avera 18532, deveroit, beveroit in 20702 ff. viverai, vivera in Bal. iv.* 1, Mir. 3879, descoverir in Bal. ix. 1.

[Pg xxxi]

[Pg xxxi]

xi. About the consonants not much need be said.

(a) Initial c before a varies in some words with ch, as caccher, caitif, camele, camp, carboun, castell, catell, by the side of chacer, chaitif, chameal, champ, charboun, chastel, chateaux; cp. acater, achater. Before e, i, we find sometimes an interchange of c and s, as in ce for se in Mir. 1147, Bal. xviii. 3; c’il for s’il in Mir. 799 &c.; and, on the other hand, sent for cent in Bal. xli. 2, si for ci in the title of the Cinkante Balades, sil for cil in Bal. xlii. 3, sercher for cercher in Mir. 712 &c., also s for sc in septre, sintille, and sc for s in scilence.

(b) We find often qant, qe, qelle, qanqe, &c., for quant, que, &c., and, on the other hand, the spelling quar for the more usual car. In words like guaign, guaire, guaite, guarant, guarde, guarir, guaster, u is very frequently omitted before a, also occasionally before other vowels, as gile, 21394, for guile: w is used in warder, rewarder, way.

(c) The doubling of single consonants, especially l, m, n, p, s, is frequent and seems to have no phonetic significance. Especially it is to be observed that ss for s at the end of a word makes no difference to the quantity or quality of the syllable, thus, whether the word be deces or decess, reles or reless, engres or engress, bas or bass, las or lass, huiss or huis, the pronunciation and the rhyme are the same. The final s was sounded in both cases, and not more when double than when single. The doubling of r in futures and conditionals, as 

 Prev. P 23/811 next