{iu} in all forms of the present.

Sec. 17.

Accented primitive Germanic {ai} (= Goth. {['a]i}) became {[e]} in OHG.
before {r, w}, Germanic {h} (cp. Sec. 23, 1), and finally; in MHG. it
appears also as {[e]} before the same consonants and finally, as {m[e]re},
{m[e]r} (OHG. {m[e]ro}, Goth. {m['a]iza}), _more_, {l[e]ren} (OHG. {l[e]ren},
Goth. {l['a]isjan}), _to teach_; {s[e]le} (OHG. {s[e]la}, older {s[e]ula},
Goth. {s['a]iwala}), _soul_; {sn[e]} (OHG. {sn[e]o}, Goth. {sn['a]iws}),
_snow_, gen. OHG. and MHG. {sn[e]wes}; {sp[i]wen}, _to spit_, pret. {sp[e]}
(OHG. {sp[e]o}, Goth. {sp['a]iw}); {d[i]hen}, _to thrive_, pret. {d[e]ch}
(OHG. {d[e]h}, Goth. {d['a]ih}); {w[e]} (OHG. {w[e]}, Goth. {w['a]i}),
_woe!_; in all other cases {ai} became {ei} in both OHG. and MHG., as
{stein} (Goth. {st['a]ins}), _stone_, {hei[z]en} (OHG. {hei[z]an}, Goth.
{h['a]itan}), _to call_; {sn[i]den}, _to cut_, pret. {sneit} (OHG. {sneid},
Goth. {sn['a]i[th]}). This accounts for the difference between the {ei}
and {[e]} in the preterite singular of strong verbs belonging to the first
ablaut-series (Secs. 12, 76).

Sec. 18.

Primitive Germanic {au} became {[o]} in OHG. before the consonants
{d, t}, {[z], s}, {n, r, l}, and Germanic {h} (cp. 23, 1). Before other
consonants and finally {au} became {ou} in the ninth century. Hence the
difference between {[o]} and {ou} in the preterite singular of strong
verbs belonging to the second ablaut-series (Secs. 12, 78), as:--

Infinitive bieten, _to offer_, pret. sing. b[o]t
" sieden, _to seethe_, " " s[o]t
" kiesen, _to choose_, " " k[o]s
" die[z]en, _to roar_, " " d[o][z]
" vliehen, _to flee_, " " vl[o]ch (OHG. fl[o]h);
but " biegen, _to bend_, " " bouc
" klieben, _to cleave_ " " kloup.

CHAPTER II

THE CONSONANTS

1. PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS.

Sec. 19.

The MHG. consonant-system was represented by the following letters:
b, c, ch, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r,
s, sch, t, v, w, (x), z, [z].

The letters k, l, m, n, p, t, w, (x) had nearly the same sound-values as
in English. The remaining letters require special attention.

When the pronunciation of consonants merely differs in the intensity or
force with which they are produced, they are called fortes or lenes
according as they are produced with more or less intensity or force. In
MHG. the cons