Publisher:
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Cover; Half-title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Figures; Tables; Abbreviations; Preface; 1 Social and linguistic setting of alliterative verse in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval England; 2 Linguistic structures in English alliterative verse; 3...
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Cover; Half-title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Figures; Tables; Abbreviations; Preface; 1 Social and linguistic setting of alliterative verse in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval England; 2 Linguistic structures in English alliterative verse; 3 Segmental histories: velar palatalization; 4 Syllable structure; 5 ONSET and cluster alliteration in Old English: the case of sp-, st-, sk-; 6 ONSET and cluster alliteration in Middle English; 7 Verse evidence for cluster simplification in Middle English; References; Index of names; Subject index This study uses evidence from early English verse to reconstruct the course of some central phonological changes in the history of the language. Examination of the behaviour of onset clusters sheds new light on the special treatment of sp-, st-, sk-, and the chronology and motivation of cluster reduction