#  Middle English Consonants  

 



 The consonants of Middle English should give you little trouble, once you become familiar with the spelling conventions. See the [Tower of Babel passage](/file_url/188) for some of the details.

   
Some other things to look for in the Babel passage:

- The spelling *wh* usually corresponds to a \[hw\] pronunciation.
- In words like *know*, *knave*, *gnaw*, and *gnof*, the initial stop is pronounced.
- The sounds \[v\], \[z\], and \[ð\] (eth) now appear at the beginning of a word because of borrowing (e.g. vice, zeal) or voicing due to lack of stress (e.g. *the*, *they*).

 Questions:  
  
1\. What are some of the phonemic values assigned to the letter yogh, ʒ (the Middle English letter that resembles a numeral 3)? Give examples.  
  
2\. What are some ways that the sound \[š\] (the fricative in the word "shush") can be represented in spelling?