e:
yea
and speke/speak
Long e in ME usually
becomes i in PDE, but there are many exceptions. The vowel in "yea," like
the vowel in "break" or "Yeats" goes no higher in the mouth than e. (See
Pyles
and Algeo 173 or Millward
256). Compare the vowel in "ready" or "leaf" which shortened and
stayed at e.
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