ong verbs embracing the old reduplicated verbs (Sec. 87) has
been omitted from the ablaut-series, because the exact relation in which
the vowel of the present stands to that of the preterite has not yet
been satisfactorily explained.

OTHER VOWEL CHANGES.

Sec. 13.

Most of the following vowel changes took place in prehistoric times; but
as they play an important part in the verbs and word-formation, &c., we
shall give them here.

Sec. 14.

[e:] (= Indo-Germanic e) became i in the prehistoric period of all the
Germanic languages:--

1. Before a nasal + consonant, as OE. {wind}, OHG. MHG. {wint}, Lat.
{ventus}, _wind_; OHG. {fimf}, {finf}, Gr. +pente+, _five_. This explains
why verbs like MHG. {binden}, _to bind_, {rinnen}, _to run_, {singen},
_to sing_, belong to the same ablaut-series as {h[e:]lfen}, _to help_,
{w[e:]rden}, _to become_.

2. Before other consonants when followed by an {[)i]} or {j} in the next
syllable, and further in OHG. when followed by an {u} in the next
syllable, as OHG. MHG. {ist}, Gr. +esti+, _is_; OHG. {fihu},
Lat. {pecu}, _cattle_; {[e:]rde} (OHG. {[e:]rda}), _earth_, but {ird[i]n},
_earthen_; {ligen} (OHG. {liggen} from {*ligjan}), _to lie down_,
{sitzen} (OHG. {sitzen} from {*sitjan}), _to sit_, but p.p. {gel[e:]gen}
(OHG. {gil[e:]gan}), {ges[e:][zz]en} (OHG. {gis[e:][zz]an}). This
explains why strong verbs belonging to the fourth (Secs. 12, 82) and fifth
(Secs. 12, 83) ablaut-series have {i} throughout the present singular,
and similarly in verbs belonging to the third (Secs. 12, 81) series with
{[e:]} in the infinitive, as

OHG. n[e:]man, _to take_, three persons sing. nimu, nimis(t), nimit.
MHG. n[e:]men, " " " " nime, nimes(t), nimet.
OHG. g[e:]ban, _to give_, " " " gibu, gibis(t), gibit.
MHG. g[e:]ben, " " " " gibe, gibes(t), gibet.
OHG. h[e:]lfan, _to help_, " " " hilfu, hilfis(t), hilfit.
MHG. h[e:]lfen, " " " " hilfe, hilfes(t), hilfet.

Sec. 15.

{u}, followed originally by an {[)a]}, {[)o]}, or {[e]} in the next syllable,
became {o} when not protected by a nasal + consonant or an intervening
{[)i]} or {j}; hence the interchange between {u} and {o} in the preterite
plural and past participle of verbs belonging to the second
ablaut-series (Secs. 12, 78), as {bugen} (OHG. {bugum}), _we bent_, p.p.
{gebogen} (OHG. {gibogan}); in the p.p. of verbs belonging